Angel of Death
by BuckytheMadHatter
Summary: Sequel to Iron Heart. Months after the showdown over D.C. things hadn't died down. Bucky found sanctuary in the crippled organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. and returned to following Steve into battle whenever the need arose. He thought he had gone straight, now that his mind was his own. He didn't count on his past coming back to haunt him once again. Bucky/OC
1. The Leader and the Pariah

**A/N: Hello again everyone! I wasn't going to write this story until the weekend, but I was too excited not to get started! To any first comers READ IRON HEART FIRST or this fanfiction will make absolutely no sense to you at all! Anyone is welcome to continue from my last story! Enjoy!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**The Whole World Is Watching by Within Temptation**

**Freedom Fighters by Two Steps from Hell**

**This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars**

Chapter 1

The Leader and The Pariah

* * *

_"Bucky...if this...is what needs to happen...so be it. But... don't let him...brainwash you. Don't...let him win."_

_My mind came to consciousness, as if awakened from a deep sleep. I stood in a cellar, not knowing why I was there. I blinked, glancing about in confusion._

_"No...finish her!" a sharp, frustrated male voice came from behind me._

_I slowly moved to see a man, not completely understanding what he wanted._

_"KILL HER!" he screamed, making my ears ring._

_I realized I was in a crouched position on the floor, my metal hand wrapped around the gullet of someone. _

_I looked down and saw myself bent over a mangled female body. Her body drenched in blood, I couldn't tell from where she bled. I squinted, not able to focus in on the woman's face, but I uncurled my fingers from around her throat._

_"WINTER SOLDIER," the man behind me declared._

_Suddenly, I felt as if I knew the woman. I knew she was precious to me, even as she lay dying on the floor underneath me. I must have hurt her..._

_"What happened?" I gasped, recoiling from the horrendous sight of all the blood._

_"You killed her in cold blood while in your dazed state," snarled the man, "You're a machine, Soldier. Nothing more than a machine."_

_"No..." I breathed, falling on my knees next to the downed woman, "No, no, no!"_

_I wrapped my arms around her limp body and pulled her close to me, burying my face in her neck._

_"You're a monster," the woman gasped out, reach out out with her only hand and dug her fingernails into my metallic arm._

_"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do this-"_

_"...You killed me..." she choked out._

_"You're nothing more than a killing machine," the man's voice hissed._

_"NO!"_

* * *

Bucky Barnes bolted upright in his bed, screaming. The sheet clung to his sweating body, his entire being quaking. He swung his legs out of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees as he grasped his short, freshly cut locks of hair between his metal and flesh fingers. His bare chest heaved as the thought of the nameless girl darted through his mind. She died by his hand because he couldn't control his own mind. Bucky shut his eyes against the cruel past and exhaled through his nose.

"Buck?" a familiar voice came from the doorway.

Bucky released his hold on his head and looked up to see Steve Rogers standing tensely in the doorway.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..." Bucky murmured, pressing his lips together to hide his swirling emotions

"You okay, pal?" Steve inquired, walking in and sitting next to his friend on the bed.

Kind, honest, unchanging Steve. He had always been there for him, even when Bucky didn't know him. Steve refused to kill him and even stepped back in their fight and declined to spar.

It wasn't until Steve uttered one phrase that Bucky realized that they'd been friends years ago.

_"I'm with you till the end of the line."_

Those words echoed in Bucky's mind. He glanced over at the man sitting next to him, chest tightening when he thought of the horrible things he did to Steve. He couldn't burden this man with any more of his problems when he'd caused so many.

"I-I'm fine..." Bucky huffed, staring forward.

Steve frowned in disbelief and clasped a hand on Bucky's shoulder, squeezing comfortingly.

"I'm with you, Bucky, if you ever want to talk-"

"I appreciate that, but I don't need to talk about this. It'll fade...in time," Bucky responded shortly, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked.

"To get a drink..." Bucky stalked out of the room to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of water.

He unscrewed the cap and lifted the water to his lips, looking out the window over the kitchen sink at Washington, D.C. as he drank.

Steve padded in after him and offered, "I know you're hurting now, man. You're my best friend and I want to see you through this. I'm with you-"

"Till the end of the line. I know," Bucky answered, turning sadly to Steve, "But, Steve, we haven't been friends since 1943. It's a little hard to recreate the bond you and I had."

It was a strange feeling, knowing someone cared about you so much and you couldn't reciprocate. Bucky knew they were best friends back in the day, but he also remembered all the terrible things he'd done to all the people who were on Steve Roger's side. It was difficult to feel excepted back in culture when you'd been a pariah for so long.

Bucky carefully inspected the hurt on Steve's face at his statement.

Steve swallowed and responded, "I understand...I'm going back to bed."

Bucky gulped down the guilt he felt as Steve trudged back to his room across the hall. The ex-assassin was left alone in the kitchen and he gazed into the dark house.

Deep down, Bucky felt as if he would never be the same again. He'd killed so many, did so many things he regretted. He couldn't honestly stand next to the virtuous Captain America and say that he fought for justice too. He wasn't the hero that America wanted. How could he be a hero when he couldn't even be the friend Steve deserved?

* * *

Not far away, Nick Fury sat in his new, yet dingy apartment in the slums of deep D.C. He typed slowly on his iPhone, getting in contact with a SHIELD client. He adjusted his sunglasses just slightly when an incoming call flashed on the screen.

Fury huffed at his interrupted texting, but saw the caller I.D.

AGENT CLINT BARTON

Fury answered the phone and said, "Agent Barton?"

_"Hey, I didn't think you'd have this phone number anymore."_

"It was the only one o that wasn't tapped, so I had to resort to this one," answered Fury, "Why are you calling me?"

_"I was told to get in touch with you...I've heard you still have contact with several of the super humans. We may be in need of their services."_

"We?"

_"Yeah, Natasha and I. We're in New Jersey now and we've run into some problems trying to cover our asses again after our info was all dumped on the internet,"_ Clint explained.

Fury frowned, "What sort of problems?"

There was a slight hesitation, then Clint responded, "_We have a situation. We can't talk about it over the phone. I am just requesting that you and a couple of your guys come down and help us. I swear it'll be something you'll want to have your hand in eradicating."_

Fury growled under his breath, "This better be worth the effort, Barton. If it isn't, I will hang you by your own bowstring."

He heard Barton give a snort on the other end, _"Trust me, it'll be worth the trip."_

"I need a couple of days to get my team together," Fury told Barton.

_"Make it as fast as you can because we really need your help."_

Fury scowled again. Barton sounded a bit anxious, an emotion that never really came across his tranquil, driven demeanor. The gravity of the situation increased and Fury replied, "We'll be there by tomorrow."

_"Thank you, sir," _Barton said, relief coloring his tone as he hung up.

Fury pressed the END CALL button and set down his light iPhone on the table. He rapped his knuckled on the desk for a minute, then spun around to look in a filing cabinet. He pawed through the unorganized drawer and pulled out Captain Steve Roger's file. He needed someone of integrity to come on this mission...and then someone with excellent covert skills.

Fury cautiously reached back into the drawer and drew Sergeant Bucky Barnes's folder out as well. Fury knew the men were living together now, but they hadn't gone on a mission together since they'd been reunited. Fury knew it was because Bucky feared letting down the Captain, but he never pressed the subject and didn't assign them to missions together.

But this could work...

Fury picked up the phone and dialed Steve's number.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice came.

"Steve, I've got a mission for you," Fury quickly answered.

Steve yawned loudly and asked, "When?"

"As soon as you can get Barnes and scoot out the front door. Meet me at my house, no questions asked," Fury instructed and didn't wait for Steve's reply before hanging up.

* * *

Bucky was about to head back to his room when Steve flipped the lights on, dashing back into the kitchen.

"What?" asked Bucky in alarm.

"Suit up, we're going on a mission," Steve said, already running out of the room to most likely get his uniform on.

Bucky blinked in surprise, "Together?"

"I assume that's what Fury meant," Steve called from his room, "We have to meet him at his apartment ASAP."

Fear gripped Bucky. The two of them on a mission together? What if he let Steve down again? What if he screwed the mission up somehow? He would be by his old friend's side the entire time, constantly under his watch.

Bucky could feel himself shaking as he walked back to his room, switching on the lights. He opened his closet and stared at his clean uniform that had been so familiar to him in the past. Of course, he had it tailored a bit to become more accurate with the times. The left sleeve was cut out to accommodate his muscular cybernetic left arm.

He quickly put on a white undershirt, then slipped on the navy blue army jacket over, buttoning the clasps that were lined up at the side. He slipped on his brown cargo pants and new, circa-current strap combat boots. He strapped on his utility belt full of tools he'd never go on a mission without: circular bombs, grappling wire, knives upon knives, smoke bombs, electrocution tablets and any other small weapon he found useful when in combat.

He pulled an assault rifle out of its case and strapped it to his back by a leather bed across his chest. Lastly, he tested the use of his greatest asset: his arm. He flexed it in a circular motion, hearing the gears and wires come to life. He pulled his finger-less gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on, one over flesh and the other over metal.

"Ready?" Steve's voice came from his doorway.

Bucky gave his exposed silver arm one last clench, tightening the ribbing all the way up the arm. He glanced at Steve, who looked at his arm with an expression Bucky had difficulty reading.

"What?" Bucky growled, feeling slightly defensive.

"Nothing. Let's go to work," Steve responded and walked out.

Bucky followed as ordered and knew that all he could do was obey. He didn't want to do anything to hurt Steve Rogers more than he'd already. No matter the guilt he felt, he'd always follow Steve.

Because Steve was that little punk from Brooklyn who wouldn't back down from a fight.

Steve Rogers was _his_ captain.


	2. Within But Without

**A/N: Heyyyy! Welcome, welcome! Thanks for the reviews for the first chapter, you guys are the best!**

**I have a question for the readers! I was speaking to Bucky Flavord Skittles tonight and asked what she thought Lacey looked like, if she were to be played in a movie or something? Opinions? I will give you the answer in the next chapter, but I am really curious to see what my readers think!**

**Anyway, I had fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**Father Said by Skrillex (Warning: Dubstep song. I wouldn't recommend listening to the song until the last portion of this chapter. Dubstep is bad news for brain work.)**

**Uprising by Muse**

**Falls Apart by Thousand Foot Krutch**

Chapter 2

Within But Without

* * *

Bucky strode along, trailing a length behind Steve as they arrived at Fury's old apartment building. They'd driven to his place in a cab, getting strange looks from the cabbie at their odd get-ups. Bucky felt self-conscious about his prosthetic for the first time since it'd been installed. He felt relieved to get out of the car to escape the cabbie constantly glaring at him through his rear-view mirror.

They'd only reached the walkway when Fury jogged out of the building.

"Stop that cab before it leaves!" he called.

Bucky's snappy instinct to obey orders took over. He was in reaching range from the cab that just began to pull away from the curb. He spun around, reaching out with his bionic hand and grasped the bumper before the car could pull away.

Unfortunately, his actions weren't thought through fully.

The cheap Ford cab was far weaker than his arm. The car groaned only a bit before the bumper snapped off in his firm hold.

Bucky stared at the long yellow bumper in his hand in shock. Since he'd been awoken from his machine-killing stupor, his own strength in the cybernetic arm surprised him from time to time.

"...I don't think he literally meant 'stop' the cab, Buck," Steve said after a short pause.

Bucky gave Steve a bitch-face, and saw Fury rolling his eyes in exasperation out the corner of his eye. Bucky dropped the bumper do the ground as the cabbie leaped out of his car.

"What the hell did you do to my cab?" the cabbie squawked, glaring at Bucky.

Bucky held his metal arm behind his back and flourished his flesh hand towards the car, "Uh...I thought...your tire was flat. I wanted to stop you before you left before you wrecked. But thank God it isn't flat because we need to go somewhere else."

The cabbie spluttered, "If you think I'm going to take you anywhere after this-"

"We're wasting time," Fury interrupted, storming promptly to the vehicle, "I'll pay for your damn repairs plus the distance to the airport."

The cabbie grumbled under his breath, picking up the bumper and shoving it into the trunk. Steve clapped Bucky reassuringly on the shoulder as got inside after Fury.

Bucky stood there for a moment as the cabbie pointed a finger at him, before stepping into the driver's seat, "Try to keep your destructive tendencies to a minimum, Iron Man."

"Iron Man...?" Bucky scoffed under his breath, sliding in the cab after Steve.

Nick stayed completely silent the entire car ride to a private airport south of D.C. Bucky knew this mission was covert, so neither he nor Steve pressed for answers.

It wasn't until they were out of the cab, walking towards a private jet that Steve finally inquired, "What's going on, Nick?"

"I'm not sure..." Fury responded shortly.

"You're really not sure? Or do you just not want to tell me? Because we've gone through this before and you know that answer doesn't satisfy me," Steve growled, adjusting his shield on his back more securely.

"I'm really not sure, Rogers. Agent Barton requested a team to come to New Jersey to help with a problem Natasha and he are having there," Fury answered, boarding the plane.

Bucky stepped inside after Fury and Steve. He felt mildly surprised at how nice the jet appeared on the inside. He didn't know that Fury still had that kind of money for such utilities. He was also shocked to see two women sitting down across from one another in the cushy seats.

"Rogers, Barnes. These are the other two past SHIELD agents that will be working with us on this mission. I believe you've met Agent 13, also known as Sharon Carter. And this is Agent Jillian Rue."

Steve gave a friendly nod to both, sharing a small smile with the blond Agent 13. Bucky's brow furrowed and he curiously glanced at the girl sitting across from Agent Carter. She wore all an all-black, skin-tight jumpsuit and a gun belt strapped to her waist. She wore her suit zipped down to show her cleavage at a pointlessly low level. Bucky averted his eyes as she leaned her body, resting her elbows on her knees as grinned up at the two of them, "It's nice to meet you, Captain. I've seen a lot of your footage and what you've done to protect this country is unbelievable. And you..."

Bucky swallowed hard, forced to look back at her as she addressed him. He looked at her raven-black hair pulled back in a tight pony-tail and her bangs that framed her pixie face. She gave him a saucy smile with her ruby lips, "Bucky Barnes. I'm pleased that you've come back to work for SHIELD."

Bucky felt like running. He remembered in the 1940s, he always tried to coax Steve to go out on double dates with him. Bucky really never stuck to one girl. But he did go out, he always chose the perky, witty women to occupy his free weeknight. He'd go out with a pretty lady, eat dinner, catch a movie, dance, and end the night maybe share a sweet kiss.

He didn't date these flamboyant types of women. These kinds of women lived to vex men. They prided themselves on making men fall to their knees at their impertinent attitude and alluring body.

"I-I'm pleased as well," stammered Bucky, feeling like jumping off the plane before it took off.

A ringing noise sounded overhead and a voice said over the intercom, "Everyone, please take your seats and buckle up, we'll be taking off in five minutes."

They all did so, Bucky sitting down between Steve and the window. He stared outside while Fury sat down across from them, talking almost immediately about the obvious precautions they needed to take.

"This is a mission that could have a lot of variables, so you need to stay on your toes. I've been given little information besides that fact that we know Barton and Romanoff are in trouble. They've put their lives on the line many times for us, now I want to return the favor," Fury explained as the plane took off.

"We don't know anything at all?" inquired Sharon, worry coloring her tone.

"Nothing, Barton refused to speak specifically over the phone. I suspect that he feared they'd been tapped," Fury responded.

Rue's voice started, "By who? I mean, it seems like..."

As they discussed the possibilities, Bucky felt his mind come alive. His high functioning brain thought of every variable and every situation. Pierce programmed him to function this way, he couldn't stop himself from immediately working out strategies.

He didn't like to speak unnecessarily when Steve was near. He wasn't the leader, after all. He never wanted to step on his toes. But he spoke up this time, "They're being hunted down by HYDRA."

Everyone in the plane turned to look at him. He felt his pale cheeks tinge pink with embarrassment, but he continued, "Just because Pierce died doesn't mean HYDRA is gone. The organization name literally describes beast that if you cut off one of its heads, two more will grow in its place. They won't stop until their only threat, SHIELD, is gone. They're going to start searching and picking off the leftover SHIELD agents."

Steve gaped at Bucky's sudden burst of speech, but Fury merely nodded, "You're most likely right, Sergeant Barnes. In that case, scratch being on your toes. Watch your back sounds like a better warning."

"It would take a lot more than a sniper to take down Hawkeye and Black Widow though," Steve suggested, glancing at Bucky, "Not to bring up the topic, but they'd need an assassin as good as you."

Bucky nodded slowly, knowing Steve was damn right. As Winter Soldier, he saw Black Widow in action. She took him by surprise, a difficult thing to accomplish.

"We'll know better how to plan once we get to Jersey and get briefed by Barton," Fury told the group, leaning back in his chair "So until then just sit back and shut up until we get there."

Bucky looked out the window again, thinking back to the time he was last in jet...it had been almost half a year ago...

* * *

_"Well, are you comfortable?"_

_I tore my eyes away from the jet window slowly and looked at Alexander Pierce who stood in front of me, sneering._

_"I don't understand," I said._

_Was he angry?_

_"Let me be a little clearer. Why are you sitting on your ass?" Alexander growled._

_I tilted my head in confusion and eased myself out the chair, a deadpan expression on my face._

_Pierce sat in the seat I'd just occupied, crossing his arms, "You'll stand until I tell you otherwise."_

_I stood against the wall of the plane, my flesh hand resting on the machine gun strapped to my side. _

_"You aren't human, Soldier. You are what I say that you are, and that's nothing but a tool. You're a war dog, nothing more. You don't mingle with people like myself, someone who outranks you. You stand at attention when on duty," Pierce informed me harshly._

_I didn't say a word. I could only obey._

_How could I not? He was the only person I knew, I could do nothing else but trust in him and obey his every command._

* * *

Bucky almost frowned outwardly at the recollection. I took a calming breath and continued to stare out the window, not speaking to anyone for the rest of the trip to Jersey.

I was still the pariah. But only emotionally. The SHIELD agents were distant, but at least they allowed Bucky to sit down with them. That was more than he could have ever hoped for.

* * *

That night, miles and miles away from SHIELD's traveling agents, a lone warehouse stood in the middle of a vacant forest. Not even animals ventured so far out into the wood. The shack was a rickety, old warehouse where cotton was once made. It hadn't been used in years, so it was a convenient hideout for those who wished to make themselves invisible.

Inside, for the first time in years, people tread the dusty cement floors. A short man in a grey suit paced back and forth around the warehouse and spoke angrily in a German accent, "This is the fourth time we've attempted on target Black Widow and failed. I'm getting sick and tired of missing. We're like children running out, unsuccessfully throwing rocks at a bird!"

Another man, taller and more severe, leaned against the unused cotton gin watching his acquaintance run back and forth.

"Patience, help is coming. We won't miss this time," the man said in a deep, Spanish accent.

"How? I hear you have a secret weapon? Are we really going to use the spear again? That worked so well last time!" exclaimed the shorter man in the suit sarcastically.

"Do you really wish to see the weapon?" the Spanish man inquired, sitting up and putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, of course!" snarled the other.

The Spanish man huffed and responded, "If that is what you so desire."

The Spanish man stepped back and nodded to several of the black-suited, helmeted officer standing by, "Bring in _El Angel de la Muerte_."

"The what? The Angel of Death?" scoffed the German.

The officers disappeared into what once was the enclosed office of the cotton factory. Shortly they returned, dragging a thrashing body with them.

The creature appeared humanoid, its head covered with a black sack secured by a rope around its neck. Its arms clamped to its sides by a black straitjacket. The thing wore tattered black pants and a loose black jacket and gloves. Around the wrists and ankles were thick metallic shackles that chinked together when it moved.

"What's that?" the German laughed, "You're going to let a mental patient go against the assassins?"

"Well, why don't you tell me how you feel about this 'mental patient' after you see its performance, Mr. Franz," the Spanish man said darkly, unlocking the chains around the thing's legs.

_"Levantaran, Angel de la Muerte," _the Spaniard instructed the creature.

An odd, strangled noise that sounded like a laugh came from the being as it got off its knees, stumbling to its feet. It stood limply, much like a zombie.

_"Mátalo,"_ the Spaniard hissed.

From under the bag on the things head, Franz could see it look up at him through the loose threads. The human-like beast tilted its head to either side, popping the joints before clenching its freed right fist.

"What did you tell it?" Franz squeaked as the thing advanced.

"You'll find out soon enough," the Spaniard yawned, walking away from the scene as the brute dashed forward.

Franz screamed and tried to run away, but with a quick dance of the being's feet, it stood in front of him. Franz slid to a halt and another cry caught in his throat as the creature balanced itself on its right leg and kicked out powerfully with its left.

The blow struck Franz directly in the ribs, a sickening crunch following shortly thereafter. Blood spurted out of the German's mouth as he fell to the floor.

He looked up to see a fist flying towards his face at a frighteningly powerful speed. He only had time to blink and open his mouth to scream in horror, but the fist collided with his skull.

And then he knew no more.


	3. The Situation

**A/N: Somehow this ended up being the longest chapter yet! Sorry it took so long to get out, apparently fanfiction is having troubles again -_-Enjoy!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**-Hymn for the Missing by RED**

**-Burn It Down by Linkin Park**

**-The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy**

Chapter 3

The Situation

* * *

New Jersey had fallen into darkness by the time the plane landed and the group walked to the road.

"We need to call a cab," Fury stated, walking to a payphone that was on the wall of the private landing strip office.

"No need, I already texted Barton to tell him to pick us up," Agent Rue announced proudly.

Bucky flinched at her stupidity. Someone was obviously watching Barton and Romanoff, and tapping their phones most likely a risk...

Nick stared at Agent Rue in utter disbelief, then shouted, "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"We need to get out of here now!" Steve hissed urgently, pushing them away from the light of the office.

Bucky turned to help usher them away when a bullet whizzed through the air and ricocheted off his bionic arm with a sharp -_twang_-. He twisted around, trained eyes instantly detecting a sniper sitting in the bushes nearby.

"Get them to safety!" exclaimed Bucky to Steve, inner warrior coming forth as he pulled his assault rifle from his side, aiming it at the sniper.

Steve only hesitated a moment before another shot fired towards Agent 13. Steve ducked in front of her without hesitation, pulling his shield out to deflect the bullet.

Bucky's soldier instinct could tell the sniper wasn't an experienced shooter. He felt comfortable standing out in the open to aim carefully. After only a moment, he fired and the sniper fell.

"There will be more, we need to get out of here now!" Bucky yelled, turning around to run with the rest of the group as they all dashed into the woods.

While running, Bucky slung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out his handgun for easier access while they were on the move.

"I think we can slow down now..." panted 13, but Bucky shook his head firmly.

"They're still behind us," Steve answered for his friend.

"How can you tell?" Agent Rue inquired.

Bucky and Steve exchanged a glance. How did they know? They didn't rely on anything except for their inner workings as super soldiers.

As predicted, another shooter came from behind. His bullets hit the surrounding trees as the SHIELD agents all ducked, mid-run.

"Want me to take him out?" Bucky asked as the group resumed their mad dash along the edge of the runway.

Steve mentally calculated their next move, his eyes locking on a truck at the end of the strip.

With just a nod and a few slight indications of his hand, Bucky knew exactly what Steve had in mind.

Steve would use his shield to get Fury, 13 and Rue to the truck and Bucky would round back and take out the sniper. Then Fury drive back towards him and he'd jump in the bed of the truck as they sped by.

"Sounds like a plan," Bucky said shortly, dead stopping.

Steve kept the others running as Bucky spun around to march towards the shooter. Strangely, the bullets stopped flying by him. The sniper was probably in shock by Bucky who easily stepped towards him fearlessly.

Bucky felt a self-confident smirk play on his lips as he stopped in the middle of the runway.

No matter what changed in his life, one thing remained constant. The exhilaration from the adrenaline of battle would always captivate him. Knowing he could gain the upper hand in most combat situations.

He watched carefully until a person came out from the trees behind the runway's fence, stopping a few yards across from him on the smooth pavement.

He looked like a regular sniper, a man with stubble on his chin and thick arms. But the way he daringly glared across the way at the half-metal man with dangerous eyes made Bucky think that he was more than just a basic shooter.

"You have no chance," the man said in a thick Russian accent, "Back down now while you're still in once piece."

Bucky didn't say a word. He didn't feel the need to pull out a gun or any other weapon, this man could be beaten by the fist.

"You think you're menacing with your special arm and whatnot, but you honestly don't think that you're the only super human on this earth. You're a piece of machinery, and machinery will be processed over and over."

The man's words hit a nerve.

"I'm not a machine," growled Bucky, his arm's ribbing locking tightly as he tightened his fist.

"Says the man with a mechanical arm," snorted the sniper and Bucky reached into the back of his utility belt with his left hand, fingers grasping one the cool circular bombs.

With the dark sky, Bucky could easily roll the bomb at the man and he'd never notice its arrival while he was running his mouth.

"Stop," the sniper suddenly said as Bucky prepared to casually roll the object towards him.

Bucky froze and looked up in confusion, inhaling sharply when he saw the sniper running at him full speed.

Bucky stumbled backwards, barely moving out of the way in time. The man skidded to a halt and leaped at Bucky, hands outstretched.  
Bucky reached in his boot and whipped out a knife, seeing an opening at the man's stomach. He swiped the knife at him, but to his shock the man reached down with one hand and grabbed a hold of Bucky's metal wrist. With the other hand, he grasped Bucky's flesh forearm.

Bucky moved to easily break the man's arm with just a flick of his shoulder, but the man held him still. Bucky's eyes snapped to meet the sniper's, who was laughing viciously.

The sniper dug his fingers into Bucky's bionic wrist, and he cried out as the plating started to bend inwards, pinching the nerve wiring.  
Bucky cringed and blinked when he saw from the wrist down that the mans hands were cybernetic.

"You thought you were the only one, didn't you? Pierce's favorite, right?" hissed the man as he dug his fingers into Bucky's fleshy arm.

With all his might, Bucky pushed against the man's arms. He yelled with effort as he shoved the man backwards and tore away from his grip. The blood from busted abrasions from the sniper's metal fingers dripped down Bucky's flesh arm, and his bionic arm sizzled and zapped in malfunction.

"Aw, it looks like you're out of options," the man said in a mocking tone.

With a smirk, Bucky responded, "I"m never out of options. I was a damned HYDRA assassin."

The sniper tilted his head in confusion as Bucky dashed towards him. He flipped his knife into his bionic hand and grasped his own arm with the other arm to guide it in its task. Quicker than the man could react, Bucky launched himself in the air with a super jump. He angled his body as he flew over the sniper's head, swinging his arms down to slice the unsuspecting victim's throat open.

Bucky landed behind the man just to see him gag and fall to the pavement.

Just then the truck pulled up beside him, he glanced over to see Steve crouched in the bed with his hand outstretched. Bucky grasped Steve's outstretched palm with him bionic one and hoisted into the truck.

Bucky wearily collapsed against the back, wincing as he looked at his two damaged arms.

"He did that to you?" Agent 13 called from the cracked back window from inside the front of the truck, "I thought you were a super soldier like Steve!"  
Bucky ignored her as Steve inspected the crushed metal around Bucky's wrist, "That sniper was a superhuman, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he did that with his hands...which both looked like this," Bucky twitched his metallic wrist as much as his injuries allowed.

"A HYDRA assassin?"

"Not much of an assassin. If he didn't have the cybernetic prosthesis, I would have killed him the first time he jumped me," Bucky responded blandly, "If this is the kind of 'trouble' we're dealing with, Fury, I think we're wasting our time. A bunch of crazies with prosthesis and poor combat skills aren't enough to make anyone of Black Widow and Hawkeye's skill level worry."

"There's possibly more to it than that," Fury replied, turning on the main road, "We'll see when we talk to Barton. If it's nothing, we'll turn and head right back home."

"We need to get Bucky to safety so we can figure out what to do about his arm," Steve reminded everyone.

"I've made provision for such an occasion. Knowing Barnes's knack of going to the extreme sometimes, I brought along a cybernetics specialist."  
Bucky frowned and heard Rue's flirtatious voice exclaim, "Yes! That'd be me, Bucky! We'll fix you right up when we get to our destination!"

Bucky stifled an exasperated look. He exchanged glances with Steve, whose eyes were wide.

"Can't wait..." Bucky called back, keeping the sarcasm to a minimum.

They drove until they reached the coordinates that Agent Barton had scrambled and sent to Fury. It was a small, ordinary house. A location that no one would ever think to find a couple of master assassins hiding.

They all filed out of the truck and Steve jumped out of the bed, turning to offer Bucky help.

"I can do it on my own," Bucky responded shortly, hopping out of the truck with his wounded arms tucked close to his body.

He could feel Steve's hurt expression again, but he ignored the look. Steve's kindness was making Bucky feel like an psycho or an invalid. It wasn't just about the injuries. Steve treated Bucky like a time bomb constantly, being sugary sweet and offering to talk all the time. It was embarrassing.

Bucky brushed past Steve and followed Fury up the pathway. Bucky nearly jumped out of his skin he felt a hand brush over his metal forearm. He jerked away and saw Rue gazing at him dangerously, a wry smile playing on her lips as she said in a husky voice, "Whoa, Barnes, I come in peace. I only wanted to see the damage."

Bucky didn't respond, but still kept his body away from her as they came to the front door. Fury rang the doorbell and after a long pause, Barton opened the latch.

Bucky had never seen the man before, just heard stories of his abilities with the bow. He wasn't a tall man, but he was muscular and his dark expression was serious and terrifying.

"Hey, we got a text from someone about picking everyone up, but I didn't come in fear of a trap," Barton said, eyes flicking over the four.

"You were wise to assume that," Fury gruffly answered, glaring at Rue.

"You brought the whole gang, didn't you? No Banner?" Natasha appeared at his side, looking out at the agents.

"You told me it was a delicate situation. I brought the best I had at the time," Fury responded.

"It is a situation. Come on inside," Barton responded, stepping out of the way to have them file inside.

Bucky, the last to walk in, felt a hand slapped against his chest before he could walk inside. Barton looked up at him blankly, "You were the Winter Soldier."

Bucky emotions swirled with anger and guilt. He quietly nodded.

Barton glanced in to see Natasha talking to the girls and Fury, then muttered in a low voice, "Listen, man, don't let them tell you that you're okay. Whatever they say doesn't matter, you're going to have to work this out on your own. It's not an easy road after you've done unspeakable things. Trust me, I know from experience."

Bucky looked down at Hawkeye, wondering how he knew what it felt like to have your mind controlled. But Barton didn't linger long enough to inquire. He'd said his piece and walked into the house. He was the only one who ever said anything to make Bucky feel a bit more hopeful about himself. He strode in behind Barton, who called, "We're going to go in the cellar brief you there, so if you all wouldn't mind going down stairs..."

Natasha opened a door and they all began to walk down, but Bucky found himself frozen in place.

"Why are we going in the cellar?" he inquired, feeling a chill of panic run down his spine.

He didn't like cellars.

"The windows are boarded up down there and it'll be a better place to talk," Natasha said, looking at him warily.

The last time Bucky saw Black Widow, he was a brainless maniac and shot her in the back. He imagined she was still fairly angry about that.

"I'm going to stay up here..." Bucky muttered, backing away.

"Seriously?" Black Widow responded, giving him a nasty look.

"How the hell will you know what you're covering your ass from?" Fury exploded.

"Tell me when you come back up, I'll guard the door," Bucky answered cooly.

Steve stepped forward, "Come on, Buck, we need your opinion on this-"

"Hey!" Barton's sudden voice made everyone jump, "The man doesn't want to go into the basement. Enough said. Let's go down and Barnes can keep watch and I'll fill him in later."

Steve seemed like he was about attempt to talk Bucky out of his decision again, but Barton said, "I know you're the Captain, Steve, but I've gotta insist."

Steve hesitantly obeyed.

Rue called out before they left, "When we're done, I'll fix your arm."

Bucky smiled demurely as the SHIELD agents walked downstairs, leaving him to his own.

He sat down in the dark on the couch in the living room, looking out the slats of the blinds of the large front window. He watched the occasional car drive as thought of Pierce's cellar danced in his mind. He remembered laying in the chair and getting his head wiped far too many times.

Bucky's head visibly twitched to the side, wincing as a memory flared up.

* * *

_"Goddamnit, Soldier, sit still!" Pierce yelled, placing a hand on my chest._

_"No, please! Don't wipe me again, I beg you!" I screamed as I yanked against the adamantium-repellant shackles as the zapping crown neared my head._

_"Shut up and sit still!" snarled Pierce._

_"I swear I'll do what you ask, just don't wipe my memories again!" I cried out, tears of desperation blurring my vision._

_"If you are stupid enough to think that I'd let you off without a wipe, especially after that poor performance this past mission, you're sorely mistaken."_

_"I didn't realize they had another sniper aft," I panted as Pierce walked off._

_"Keep your damn mouth closed!" Pierce snapped as the crown fit around my head and electrocuted the memories threads in my mind._

* * *

Bucky gulped down the bad taste the horrid memories left in his mouth. He wished that he could have a selective memory and forget all his hard times in the past 70 years. And he wish he could more clearly remember the good parts of his past.

Bucky swallowed dryly and looked back out the window. Suddenly, something caught his eye. He stood up, not able to grab his gun with his wounded arms. He merely stood rigidly, sharp vision searching for anything out of the ordinary. He remained still and silence, letting out a deep, calming breath.

He waited for a sound, a movement, any sign. He heard a slight click by the front window and he tensed, preparing to attack. He blinked when he felt something tap the tip of his boot and he glanced down to see one of his activated circular bombs blinking at his feet.

"Shit!" he exclaimed and made a mad dash for the other side of the house, shoulder colliding with a window.

He crashed through the windowpane and landed on the grass as the bomb exploded. The windows blew out and debris flew everywhere. Bucky hoped to God that the agents down in the cellar were safe.

He picked himself up, cringing as his pained arms screamed for attention. Bucky cradled his arms to his chest, ignoring the agony. He looked through the window cautiously, and ducked back down when he saw a stranger standing in the middle of the demolished living room.

He slowly moved up, peering over the edge of the windowsill. The man stood statue-like in the center of the room. Even in the darkness and smoke, Bucky could tell that his presence was menacing. His body clothed all in black, a thick dark leather jacket and black pants. He took one step forward, his thick-soled combat boots softly clumping against the hardwood floor. His black, gloved hands held a machine gun tightly and over his head, there was heavy hood that completely shrouded his face.

But the detail which captured Bucky's attention were the two stitched decals on the shoulder pads of the man's jacket. It was a red skull.

_HYDRA._

Bucky slid back down quietly and a flurry of motion caught his eye. He looked towards the backyard and saw the SHIELD agents fleeing the scene.

Bucky scrambled after them and joined them in the woods behind the house.

"Bucky! I can't believe you made it out of there in one piece!" Steve said in a hushed tone as Bucky crouched with them in the shrubs.

"I assume that's your 'situation'?" Bucky inquired blandly, cocking his head towards the direction of the house.

Barton nodded, dusting some debris out of his short hair, "We've never had one get that close before though. They've always attacked when we've been out getting essentials from the store."

"We explained to Barton that you think its HYDRA assassins attempting to pick us off one by one," Steve told Bucky.

"I'm positive now. The assassin had the typical HYDRA red skull decal on his jacket," answered Bucky, hissing sharply through his teeth as he pulled his injured bionic arm close to his stomach.

"We need to find somewhere secure, regroup and fix Bucky's injures," Steve announced to the agents.

Barton nodded, "We have one more place that may work. For now, at least."


	4. Hollow and Faceless

**A/N: As usual and obvious, I own nothing except my OCs!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**Faceless by Red (Yeah, I know I already mentioned this song in Iron Heart, but it really makes me think of Bucky...)**

**Breath of Life by Florence + The Machine**

**Unbreakable by Fireflight**

Chapter 4

Hollow and Faceless

* * *

Hours after trekking through the suburbs into an empty wooded area, they came to an abandoned pool house that sat next to a large lake. It was definitely remote, but Bucky didn't really feel safe anywhere they went. This was HYDRA, an organization that he knew didn't mess around when it came to tracking down targets.

They all huddled inside, Barton and Natasha watching out the windows to make sure they weren't followed as Rue worked on Bucky's arm. Surprisingly, the briefcase she'd been lugging around with her was stuffed full with tools needed to repair cybernetic arms.

_"Maybe she's not completely worthless,"_ mused Bucky as she welded the wrist plating back into its original position, patching the holes.

But even though Rue was doing him a service, for once he was glad that Steve stood and watched over him like a hawk. Rue kept on making flirtatious small talk and Steve would shut her down.

"So, did you have any girlfriends back in the 1940s? I heard the women were very prim and proper back in those days," Rue hummed, smiling behind the goggles she wore as the dangerous sparks leaped from his arm.

"I-" Bucky began but Steve cut in.

"Agent Rue, we're on a time crunch," he growled in a warning tone.

Rue continued to ignore him, "What about girls in HYDRA. I bet they were hot, right?"

Bucky felt slightly taken aback by the forward question. He hated talking about his past with HYDRA, so he snarled, "It's not like I had the free time to notice."

"Oh, come on, you had to at least had some fun with a gal while you were serving the Red Skull," chuckled Rue.

Was this woman asking to get her throat ripped out? Bucky literally needed bite down on his tongue to keep from lashing out at her insensitive statement.

Bucky could see Steve visibly bristling and Bucky spoke before the woman got a shield in her skull, "HYDRA produced me when it suited them. When I wasn't being used, they would wipe my mind and stick me in a cryo tube until they needed me again. So no...no girls."

His weighted words finally seemed to render the impertinent agent speechless. She returned to her work in silence, much to Bucky's relief.

Fury spoke up after the moment of awkward silence, "So this man you saw in the house, Barnes, what could you make of him?"

Bucky reached into his mind's eye, "He was small, but powerful. He possessed a darkness that I haven't seen in an assassin since I was HYDRA's weapon. His presence actually reminded me a lot of how I was as the Winter Soldier. Perhaps he had similar training."

"Do you think that if you worked together,you and Steve could take him down?"

"He isn't like the normal sniper who is going to take pot-shots at you through a window. He outsmarted me and took me by surprise, which has only been done a few times..." Bucky glanced at Black Widow, who smirked kindly at him for the first time, "...But that being said, you're putting two super soldiers together against one. I believe we'll come out on top. All we need is a good strategy."

"We're going to have to plan on the run in order to not be surprised next time. Bucky had the right idea about keeping watch constantly. We were foolish this past time to assume we were safe. If Bucky had been downstairs with us, the assassin might have gotten a lot closer than he did," Steve said, crossing his arms.

"This nothing we can't handle though," Bucky affirmed, a wicked smile curling his lips.

"There!" Rue suddenly exclaimed, scooting away from his arm, "Good as new."

Bucky looked down at his arm as saw that, besides being in need of a little polishing to get the welding marks to disappear, his arm indeed was fixed.  
He waggled his fingers, pleased to hear the familiar clicks and whirring. He stood and flexed his bionic arm, testing his range of motion.

"It's good, huh?" rue inquired proudly.

Bucky glared down at her with a distasteful expression, "Yeah, you proved me wrong. I didn't think you were that talented."

Fury coughed loudly and Rue's expression flickered with momentary hurt.

"What about your other arm?" Steve asked, choosing to ignore the bantering.

Bucky pulled up the cuff of his sleeve over his muscular forearm and saw that his regenerative cells already began to knit the punctured skin back together.

"It'll be right as rain in a couple of hours," Bucky responded, yanking his sleeve back down.

"Hey," Barton hissed from his spot at the window, "I think we have company.

Everyone instantly stood, taking a hold of their weapon of choice. Bucky took up his assault rifle from the strap on his shoulder and approached the window where Barton stood.

The sun already began to peak over the tops of the trees and a dense fog had settled in over the lake country. Bucky's eyes flicked from place to place until he saw the enemy. It was the same man who had blown up Barton and Romanoff's house. He stood in the distance, completely still as he watched pool house. Fog swirled around him, almost completely invisible to a human eye. The assassin almost like a devilish statue, his face still covered by his dense hood.

"What's he doing?" Barton whispered in confusion.

"As a HYDRA assassin, you're programmed to win every situation. With that comes a sense of unabashed bravery. He's not afraid to show himself...it's part of what makes the HYDRA assassins seem so malevolent," answered Bucky, checking his rifle's bullet clip.

"Are you going to try to take it down from here?" Steve whispered, coming to hunker down next to Barton and Bucky.

Bucky nodded his head, "He's waiting for us for us to lose our minds. He knows we're watching and I'm going to take him down."

"Let me," whispered Hawkeye, reaching back to his quiver and pulled out an arrow.

He strung it in his bow and aimed the arrowhead through a hole in the old windowpane. Bucky watched the man hardly hesitate before letting the arrow go, it's tip aimed towards the man's eye.

With a slight movement, the assassin tipped his head to side, completely avoiding the arrow.

"What the hell? There is no way he could have seen me through the mist!" whispered Barton in shock.

Bucky glanced at Barton, "This is not an ordinary assassin, I think I clarified that."

"Well, you could have stopped me before I looked like an idiot," Barton grumbled, clutching his hi-tech bow.

Bucky gave him a devious grin before he looked back outside. He stood up abruptly when he realized the man had disappeared. They had only looked away for five seconds!

_"Dammit, Barnes. You're losing your touch, you shouldn't have looked away!"_ Bucky thought grimly to himself.

"Everyone prepare yourself, this could get bad," Steve warned.

The SHIELD agents all instinctively stood together in a circle, backs to one another. Bucky raised his rifle, readying himself for whatever happened next.  
Bucky flinched when something whizzed through the air and caught him right in the flesh of his neck. He winced as he reached up to pluck a strange, ball-shaped dart from his neck.

"Shit..." he gasped, his vision becoming blurry as he blinked sluggishly.

"Bucky!" Steve exclaimed from his side, but his actions to rescue his friend fell short when bullets flew in from every window.

Glass exploded in every direction and the SHIELD agents all dropped to the floor to avoid rogue bullets.

"Bucky, get down!" Bucky heard his name being called, as if the voice was miles away.

A hand came out to grasp his metal one, yanking him down on the ground. He landed hard on his side, eyes lolling as the poison dart overtook his body's functions.

His eyes focused in and out on the pool house door when it opened, the assassin easily walking in among the firefight. He strode directly over to Bucky, then reached down to grasp his shirt collar and began dragging him away.

"No!" Steve exclaimed, whipping his shield at the assassin.

The enemy grabbed the shield by the edge as Bucky once had, then threw it upwards with such strength that the shield busted out of the roof and flew outside.

Bucky felt loopy as he looked at the damaged roof as he drawled, "Damn..."

Steve lunged at the assassin again, but the man twisted around, producing a handgun and shot the super soldier in the chest.

Bucky's slowing mind took a moment to comprehend what just happened.

"Steve!" he cried out with as much energy as he could muster while clawing at the assassin's hand with his cybernetic fingers.

He knew his efforts were slow and stupid in his drugged state. He gave up and looked at Steve through his blurry vision to see the soldier laying on the floor, crawling in pain towards his friend.

Steve stretched out his hand and gasped, "H-Hang in there...I'm with you, pal."

"Till the end ... of the line," Bucky finished hoarsely, a lump stuck in his throat.

For Steve's overwhelming need to make Bucky feel like nothing had changed between them, he was still the only friend. Bucky felt extremely helpless to his injured friend as his drugged eyes rolled loosely in his head.

Bucky gagged when his jacket tightened around his neck as the HYDRA assassin pulled him out into the foggy morning air. The assassin dragged him relentlessly through sticks, rocks and dirt. Bucky could feel the abrasive ground rubbing his back raw as they trudged through the forest.  
The friction around his neck and the drug made Bucky's head feel light. He reached up and clumsily tugged at his constricted throat.

His eyes rolled up, still unable to see the assassin's face through the low hood. He could tell though the man's body itself was surprisingly small for such strength. Bucky wasn't a light man with his muscle-density and even someone like Steve would have a difficult time lugging him through the forest.

It suddenly occurred to Bucky that it made little sense that the assassin was taking him away when he obviously was trying to kill the SHIELD agents. Why had he captured him?

Just when these thoughts floated to the forefront of Bucky's mind, the assassin dropped Bucky next to a tree. He produced a pair of shackles from a leather bag at his hip and reached down to clasp Bucky's wrists in them, then wrap the chain around the tree.  
Once Bucky was secure, the assassin turned on his heel and began to walk back to the pool house.

Bucky almost opened to his mouth to uselessly yell at him, when a deafening roar shook the air, scaring birds from their perches in the trees.

The assassin froze and looked around tensely. Bucky's eyes widened when a huge green blur burst through he trees and slammed into the assassin, throwing him roughly to the side. The huge monster roared at the assassin, hitting his fist into the dirt menacingly.

_"The Hulk?"_ thought Bucky in disbelief, _"Man, I'm really out of it..."_

The assassin tumbled, but pulled himself upright quickly. Bucky's eyes traveled over to the man, whose hood had fallen back, revealing a head with a thick mask on that covered everything from the eyes down, similar to the one Bucky wore as a HYDRA agent. His hair wasn't very long, but the wispy strands were long enough to brush his forehead.

The Hulk, seemingly less insane than the last time Bucky ran into him, spun around and thundered towards him. Bucky instinctively tensed, but the Hulk's hand merely ripped the tree out of the ground, freeing Bucky's chains.

The Hulk then rounded on the assassin, running at him at full speed. The assassin looked a little more than frantic. He turned to run, but in order to get away, his hand shot out to shoot a grappling hook around the Hulk's legs to trip him.

The Hulk didn't miss a beat, strong legs ripping the cable in two, but the attempt made him angrier. He bellowed and reached out to grasp the man's right hand and ripped it easily from his body at the elbow joint.

Bucky flinched as the Hulk threw the arm and it landed with a clank near his feet. Bucky dizzily eased forward and looked at the dislocated arm, finding it a cybernetic prosthetic.

The assassin gave an anguished scream that sounded...oddly high-pitched. Almost like a woman's scream. Bucky scowled and looked closer at the arm and saw it was a great deal more delicate looking than his own arm.

...As if it belonged to a woman...

The Hulk moved in on the assassin again, but Bucky suddenly called out, "Banner, leave her for now! Steve and the others are in trouble!"

The Hulk stopped mid-step and turned to Bucky. He obeyed after a sneer at the assassin, then galloped back over to Bucky again.

"Um, well, just give me a hand to stand and we'll head back," Bucky told him, afraid of what the monster would do.

The Hulk snorted and picked up Bucky with one hand and slung him over his shoulder like a baby.

Bucky cried out, appalled, "Hey! No, it's okay, I'll walk!"

**"Stupid Winter Soldier,"** the Hulk grunted, turned to crash like a rhino through the forest back towards the pool house.

"Thanks. That's very kind of you," Bucky returned sourly, watching the assassin as they left.

The possibly female assassin stood, clutching her ruined arm. She flipped her hood back on her head and turned, disappearing in the opposite direction.

* * *

Hulk and Bucky returned to the house to see the shooters all advancing on the agents inside. Hulk threw Bucky down with a lot more force than necessary, making the drugged soldier fall on his face into the dirt.

Bucky lifted his head, spitting the grim from his mouth to see the Hulk smash into all the shooters. He threw them about like a maniac, tossing them every which way until they all moved around no more.

Bucky struggled to his face and stumbled towards the house. He pushed the door open and saw Steve lying lifelessly on the ground, Barton and Fury crouched next to him.

Bucky inhaled sharply and fell to his knees next to his downed friend. He rolled Steve on his back to see his slack face.

"We need to get him to a hospital now!" exclaimed Bucky, his drugs forced to wear off from the intense situation.

Bucky turned towards the Hulk, who hunkered down so he could see through the doorway, "Can you possibly catch us a ride?"

The Hulk grinned mischievously, but Bucky held up a hand, "Without smashing the ride before you get back?"

A frown slackened the monster's features and he almost looked like he was pouting. He made a face, but still disappeared out of the doorway and ran off.

Bucky pressed his hand to Steve's wound, keeping pressure on the bleeding. Bucky never was a religious man, but he found himself praying to whoever would listen that Steve would make it through this.

Otherwise, Bucky would be alone again. And nothing scared him more than that.


	5. Opening Up The Scars

**A/N: It's going down. I'm yelling TIMBERRRR! I am so excited for this chapter! I hope you all love it!**

**-Musical Inspiration:**

**Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold**

**I'm Alive by Shinedown**

**Even If I Could by Papa Roach**

Chapter 5

Opening Up The Scars

* * *

Only twenty minutes from the time that Bucky sent Banner out to pick up a car did the green monster throw a blue Honda Civic in front of the pool house. Fury and Bucky lifted Steve up with great effort and outside to the car.

Bucky looked around to thank the Hulk, but the beast had run off. They got in the car and Bucky sat in the back with 13 and Steve. They draped him across their laps, his head resting in Sharon's arms. Fury jumped in the driver's seat and Rue sat next to him.

Fury tore away from the pool house and drove around trees until they found a road.

"See if there's a map in the glove compartment," Fury directed Rue.

She checked and pulled out a map as they flew down the road.

After driving for a few minutes, Bucky's eyes locked in on a road sign that had a hospital symbol. He glanced down on the floor of the car and saw a dark hoodie. He reached down and put it on, preparing to go into the hospital without raising questions about his metal arm.

"Take the next left and we'll be there," Rue instructed, looking hard at the map.

They sped until they screeched into the hospital's parking lot and drove straight to the emergency entrance.

Bucky threw the door open and ran inside, crying out, "Someone help! We need help now!"

* * *

Bucky sat next to Steve's bedside, running his thumbs back and forth against a lukewarm cup of coffee. He stared at the old liquid, thinking about the wounded man beside him.

It had been hours since they'd arrived and Steve had already been sewn up and given blood to make up for his lost.

Bucky's eyes tore away from the cup to look at Steve's expressionless face.

"Wake up, pal..." Bucky said quietly, pressing his lips together tightly to hide his emotions.

Steve remained motionless. Bucky turned towards his friend a little more and whispered so no one else but them could hear, "You've gotta wake up, Steve...I know I haven't been the kindest to you since my mind straightened out, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I have no excuse for my behavior except for insecurity, I guess...I just have been so taken advantage of through the years that I don't assume that anyone has good intentions anymore. I should have known better than that when it came to our friendship. We're buddies..."

Bucky tilted his head, feeling tears threatening his eyes.

"If you die, I won't have anyone. You're my best friend. You risked your life to save me and..." Bucky paused, biting his lip as a single tear managed to escape his eye, "I can't move forward without you, pal. We're supposed to stick together till the end of the line, remember?"

"Don't worry, he will," came a timid voice from the doorway.

Bucky deftly smacked away the tear before looking up to see faint-hearted Bruce Banner nervously shifting from foot to foot.

"Banner..." Bucky murmured, clearing the thickness in his throat, "Hey, thank you...I mean for saving my ass earlier."

"Oh, uh, that wasn't me really, that was the other guy," answered Banner, looking over his shoulder briefly.

"You're one in the same," Bucky answered, lips quirked faintly.

"I just came in to check up on Rogers...how's he doing?" Banner inquired, taking a hesitant step inside the room.

"The doctors said they've done all they can. He just has to fight through it," Bucky responded, looking over at Steve.

"He'll pull through. If he survived 70 years in the ice, he can get through this in a flash," Banner offered, smiling kindly.

Bucky looked at Bruce Banner. The man was so opposite of his inner green monster. One would never guess that he turned into the Hulk when angered.

Bucky didn't instantly take to a lot of people...he harbored trust issues. But for some odd reason, he felt like he could trust Banner.

"Thanks," Bucky returned.

Momentary silence passed between the two before Bruce said, "Um, I'm headed downstairs to the cafeteria to speak with Fury. Can I, uh, get you any food while I'm there?"

"No, thank you. I'm not really hungry..." Bucky answered, giving Bruce a grateful smile.

To be quite honest, Bucky couldn't get used to the food of the world. He diet was kept bland and minuscule while working for HYDRA. Now most things he ate made him sick. He appreciated the offer though.

"O-okay, we'll be back in a while," Banner said, disappearing into the hall.

Bucky nodded and leaned back in his chair, calming himself by listening to the rhythmic beeping of Steve's heart monitor. His eyes were about to slide shut when an alarm when off his mind. He bolted upright in his seat, instantly sensing something was off. What was it?

Bucky focused his mind in figuring the problem out, then he noticed. There weren't any noises coming from the halls.

Bucky instantly rose to his feet, realizing that in his haste he left his assault rifle in the car. He took off his hoodie to reveal his blue army jacket, taking a knife from his utility belt.

He crept towards the door, pressing his back to the frame as he cautiously peered around the corner. Not a soul stood in the hallway. Not a nurse or a patient. The hospital was eerie and quiet.

Bucky slipped the blade into his flesh hand and activated his arm, knowing that it was just a matter of time before the assassin showed up.

He shut his eyes for a moment, feeling the silent energy around him. He could sense it, she was here.

Bucky rotated his shoulder, a sharp electronic click resounding in the empty hall. He heard a familiar whizzing noise and his arm snapped up to catch a sedation dart in midair before it struck him in the neck.

"You really thought as going to work again?" Bucky asked the unseen assassin, throwing the dart to the floor.

Bucky tilted his head when the assassin finally stepped into view at the end of the hall. He was slightly surprised to see her arm already fused back into her elbow. HYDRA must have repaired her, then immediately and sent back out.

A pang of pity hit Bucky, knowing just months ago that he was that assassin.

Attack, sleep, attack, sleep, attack, sleep.

It was the loneliest world he had ever known.

"You don't have to do this. They're only controlling you so deeply," Bucky said, squaring himself to stand down the hall across from her.

The assassin didn't say a word, she merely bent her knees slightly, preparing for a fight.

"We're the same. I know you don't see it...I know you don't see anything. But I can help you," Bucky offered.

Bucky inwardly snorted. Steve's damned soul saving tendencies were rubbing off on him.

The assassin still didn't respond.

"Whatever, I gave you a chance. But my friend is here and there is no way in hell I'm letting you kill him," Bucky growled, flipping his knife into his metal hand and whipped it at the assassin.

The assassin didn't move as the knife hit her left leg and ricocheted off.

Bucky blinked, realizing her leg was bionic in addiction to her arm. The assassin leaned down to pick up the knife, testing the weight in her metal hand.

Bucky tired of waited and decided to kick-start the fight himself. He rushed the assassin, faking to his left before bringing his mighty bionic fist rolling towards her face.

With one swift move, she countered the punch, bringing her left leg up to hook around his wrist, then swung her leg downwards, directing the devastating blow to the tile floor.

Bucky swung his head in time to realize the assassin was bringing her right fist to connect underneath his chin. He tossed his head back to avoid, but got kicked in the gut by her bionic leg. He cringed, then whipped another knife into his grasp. He swung the weapon at her back and forth. They danced against each other for a few moments, easily blocking each other's deadly moves with speed.

After a few frustrating minutes of getting nowhere, the assassin caught a hold of Bucky by the throat, taking the knife he'd thrown at her and held it to his exposed neck. Bucky arched his back, abruptly bringing his elbow back to strike the assassin in the face mask. Another high, muffled cry convinced Bucky of the fighter's gender as she let go of him, hands shooting to her face.

Bucky spun around as the woman stumbled backwards, hands fluttering around her head to tear off the cracked mask.

The blood from her bruised nose oozed over her lips, hiding her truest features. Bucky could still see her auburn pixie-cut hair, lush lips and electrifying emerald eyes. A small, white scar blemished her delicate jaw and her small nose was busted at the bridge.

She glared up at Bucky, obviously angered. Bucky didn't hesitate and grasped her by her fleshy arm with his own, then grabbed her bionic wrist with his metal fingers. She roared as she struggled against him, kicking him hard in the knee with her cybernetic foot.

Bucky hissed in pain, but kept his hold tight. He backed her against the hallway wall, pinning her legs against it with his own. She continued to thrash like a wild animal, throwing her head forward to collide with his.

He saw stars, but he pressed hard against her, letting go of her flesh arm to press his forearm into her throat. His eyes moved to burn into her face. But when she glared back, a memory gripped Bucky's mind.

He _knew_ her.

He stared at her fiery green eyes and auburn hair, seeing a dusting of freckles across her cheeks underneath the smeared blood. His hesitation was poorly timed though, because she swung her free arm to grab a knife hidden in his belt and stabbed him in the side.

Bucky gasped and let her go, fingers desperately pulling the weapon free from his skin.

Distracted by the dagger, he yelped when she ripped her bionic wrist away from his hold to punch him in the face. Bucky fell back and the assassin landed on her feet, then propelled herself into the air. She spun midair and brought her metal heel down against Bucky's crown.

Bucky fell to the ground, rolling to right himself but the sharp pain rattling his brain caused him lose his balance again.

The assassin took advantage of his lapse of momentary clumsiness and jumped at him again, putting all her strength into kicking him with her metal leg bluntly in the sternum.

The breath whooshed out of Bucky's lungs and he slammed into the opposing wall. His head knocked against it, busting a hole into the weak drywall.

He barely had enough time to twist out of the way before a flurry of her strong fists repeatedly hit the space of the wall he'd just occupied. She pulled her hands out of the remains then threw her elbow out to hit him in the throat. Bucky blocked the blow with his metal shoulder, then flattened his bionic hand and chopped at her neck, hitting the flesh with a soft thump.

She yelped and kneed Bucky in the thigh in return. She picked up a discarded knife from the floor and hurtled the weapon at him, but he easily smacked it away with his palm.

The two spaced apart, sizing one another up as their breaths came in heavy spurts. Bucky looked hard at the assassin's face...she looked so familiar. Her expressions, her appearance, her movement...everything reminded Bucky of someone from his dark past.

It wasn't until she spoke to him for the first time that a substantial memory floated into the front of his mind.

"You're going to lose, just accept that."

Her voice.

Bucky felt his eyes widen when a flash of memory burst before his mind's eye.

* * *

_I winced as I tapped the dislodged knuckle plating with a book, attempting to smack it back to normal. But every time I struck the loose piece, it felt like it moved more out of whack._

_"Bucky?" a woman's voice came from the doorway._

_I looked up to see the petite young woman with green eyes, whom I trusted wholly._

_She giggled at my fumbling attempts to remedy the damaged plating._

_"You're going to screw it up more than its damaged if you continue doing that," she laughed._

_She disappeared into the hallway for a moment before returning with a handheld welding tool. She sat next to me on the bed and gently took my hand in hers. She lifted the portable tool and began to expertly work on the plating._

_I watched her work. Her tongue poked out through her lips in concentration. Her scrunched nose brought a soft curl to my lips. She was so endearing when she focused on working with metal._

_When she finished, she sat up and grinned, "There! Does that feel better?"_

_I flexed my hand, admiring the fine workmanship._

_"Much better," I affirmed, meeting her radiant expression._

_She smiled sweetly and gently reached out to brush a long strand of hair from my forehead._

_"I'm headed to bed, then. Goodnight," she whispered, leaning forward to kiss the corner of my mouth. _

_The heat of her lips brought color to my pale cheeks. I found my eyes sliding shut at the simple yet pleasurable gesture._

_She pulled away and stood, letting go of my metal fingers. I hadn't even realized she grasped my hand during the kiss..._

_I looked up as she walked out of the room, not without giving me another smile over her shoulder before she left._

* * *

Bucky wagged his head to clear his mind to come back to reality.

He looked at the nameless woman before him.

"Who are you?" Bucky inquired, pulling another knife from his pocket.

"I'm the Angel of Death," the assassin growled.

"No, who are you really?...I know you, your voice..." Bucky told her.

"You do not know me," she returned shortly.

"You've fixed my arm before, I..." Bucky's eyes ran over her appearance as she wiped the blood away from her lips, "I don't know your name, but I definitely know you."

"Shut up!" she snarled and lunged at Bucky.

Before she could hit him, an arrow whizzed through the air and struck her in the shoulder, then another in her right calf.

She fell to the ground, clenching her teeth in pain. Bucky stepped forward to capture her, but suddenly several bullets spat at the floor near him, keeping him held back. He scampered back as the sniper kept shooting and another black-clad officer ran in the room and helped the assassin to her feet. He slung her arm over his shoulder and together they rushed out of the room.

Bucky blinked to comprehend what has just occurred as Barton and Banner ran up to him.

"You okay, man?" Barton inquired frantically, returning his bow to his back.

Bucky nodded as he sorely straightened up, then a thought sprung to his mind. He spun around and dashed towards the room where Steve slept. He slid to a halt in front of the door and saw that the bed was now empty, the window leading outside busted.

"Goddamnit!" Bucky shouted, slamming his fist into the door frame, bending it significantly inwards.

Barton and Banner ran up behind him. Hawkeye cursed under his breath and Bruce looked at Bucky worriedly.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back. We won't stop until we do," Banner reassured Bucky.

"You're damn right," rumbled Bucky through clenched teeth, turning to storm out of the room, "And there is no way in hell I'm letting them have a head start."


	6. Reaching for Heaven

**A/N: Wow, it's be a bit since the last update. I'm sorry guys! I was having a hard time with this last chapter and some discouraging words from some reviewers made me a little depressed about the story. But there is definitely more positive feedback than negative!**

**A note to certain reviewers: Every damn chapter is not going to be crazy and awesome. I try my hardest to make this fanfic as interesting as possible. But I must have leading or filler chapters to be able to complete the story the way it needs If you don't like it, too bad. You're not forced to read the story! Please don't post things about the chapters being boring, please. That is in no way constructive criticism. It's just mean.**

**Anyway, for my beloved readers, I am happy to give you this chapter. It's a little long and 'boring' too, but this is a fluff chapter! Sorry!**

**-Musical inspiration:**

**Circus for a Psycho by Skillet**

**I'm Alive by Becca**

**The Last Time by Taylor Swift**

Chapter 6

Reaching for Heaven

* * *

Bucky pushed himself into the mode he'd mastered as an assassin. Track down and kill.

HYDRA's men were going to die for this.

Bucky stormed down the hall and considered running down the stairs, but knew that would take far too long. He set his jaw, turning to run at a window. He busted his metal shoulder through a window and flew outside.

He twisted his body in midair, digging his fingers into the side of the building, slowing his fall. He landed moments later after scaling the wall and looked around for the assassin. His eyes latched on a truck at the base of the hospital. Bucky saw the officer pulling the Angel of Death into the cab.

Bucky walked by the car they'd taken to the hospital, shoving his head through the glass to grasp the assault rifle. He yanked it out of the window, striding purposefully and quickly towards the truck.

The truck started and began to pull out of the lot. Bucky reached the rear of the truck and upon seeing an officer hunkered in the bed with the unconscious Steve, Bucky clenched his teeth and leaned down to tear off the back hatch of the truck. He threw it aside, then shot the officer in the head with his assault rifle.

Bucky picked Steve up from under his arms, pulling him out of the truck bed when something stabbed Bucky in the shoulder.

Bucky cried out in agony , looking at his shoulder to see and arrow shoved through his right trapezium muscle. He looked up to see the angry face of the woman assassin standing on the side of the bed.

The car suddenly lurched forward as the officer who saved her tore out of the parking lot. Bucky grimaced as he latched his metal fingers into the plastic truck bed floor, keeping his other arm wrapped around Steve's middle to protect him from flying out the back.

The assassin quickly pulled out the other arrow sticking into her calf, then raised it threateningly at Bucky.

Bucky looked up at her, thinking of his options.

Let go of Steve, or let go of the car...

The obvious choice was going to hurt. Bucky released his hold on the truck and slid out the back as the truck peeled around the corner at an extremely high speed. Bucky wrapped himself around the helpless Steve, preparing to have his body take the majority of the pummeling from the cement.

He tensed himself, but his body never hit the ground. He and Steve landed against something relatively soft, in fact.

Bucky looked up at saw Banner in his monster form, grinning devilishly down at him. Bucky released a breath of relief.

"Thanks," he gasped, rolling off the Hulk's arms and broke the head off the arrow in his shoulder and pulled it out.

The Hulk set Steve on the ground and looked at the escaping truck, then glanced at Bucky in question.

"Bring the assassin back in one piece...smash everything else," Bucky ordered, pointing at the truck.

The Hulk smirked and then barreled at the truck, catching up with it easily. The Hulk picked up the car and crushed the bed in his bare hands, then reached in the truck and pulled the female assassin out. He tucked her squirming form firmly under his arm as the other officer shot at him. The Hulk shook with fury and slammed his fist into the officer, sending him flying into the street.

The Hulk lumbered back to Bucky and offered the girl to him like a present, holding her arms pinned to her sides.

"Let me go!" she screeched.

Bucky stood, clenching his metal fist and struck the assassin in the head with all his might, knocking her out. He reached into her utility belt to pull out a sedative dart that she'd used on him the other day. He popped off the cap and stuck the needle in her neck.

"That should keep her down for a while," Bucky told Banner, "Just hold on to her until we get some restraints, okay?"

Banner growled in return, put looked down as a gasp came from Steve. Bucky spun around to his friend and knelt next to him. Steve's blue eyes cracked open and he looked around in confusion, "What...the hell..."

"Steve..." Bucky said in relief, clasping his shoulder.

"What happened?" Steve inquired, shakily looking around, then his eyes locked in on the Hulk, "Banner?"

The Hulk snorted and Bucky told Steve, "We were having a little disagreement with HYDRA."

Steve scowled and his eyes drifted to the girl in the Hulk's hands.

"That's the assassin from the house, isn't it?" inquired Steve weakly, "...It's a girl?"

Bucky looked over at the unconscious HYDRA assassin and nodded, "She's the one."

Bucky didn't mention his familiarity with the assassin to his friend. He had no idea how she played into his life, so he didn't want to make a deal out of something that didn't matter yet.

"Let's get back to the hospital," Bucky said, slipping and arm down to help Steve to his feet and assist him with walking.

* * *

Later they found themselves back in a recovery room at the hospital. The Hulk, who'd had shrunken down to his normal size, stood outside the closed door, keeping watch. Fury, Barton and Romonoff took the assassin to a 'prison,' saying they'd return once she was secure.

13 and Rue stood at the edge of Steve's bed and Bucky leaned heavily against the window frame. He ignored the dull pain from his wrapped arrow wound.

"We need to interrogate her and find out who is the one in charge of this operation now that Pierce is dead," Steve said from his place in the hospital bed.

"Will she confess, though? I thought these HYDRA assassins are supposedly resilient to interrogation and torture?" Sharon reminded him.

The group looked to Bucky for the answer.

"We're not going to torture her," grumbled Bucky distantly, still bothered by the memories he'd experienced about the woman, "She doesn't know what she's doing, she's being controlled."

"But even controlled people have information that they can give, right?"

"I didn't know Alexander Pierce's name until after I regained the majority of my memory," Bucky answered.

"We can still interrogate," Rue spoke up, "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Pushing a mentally unstable person for questions they don't know the answer to is like beating a dead horse. It's cruel and pointless," Bucky responded harshly.

"But she may not be exactly as you were. She could have information we need!" 13 responded.

Steve's voice cut in, "Once Fury comes back, we'll see what this assassin knows. Buck, I think you should interrogate her since you identify with her origins."

Fear flared up in Bucky's chest, "Really, Steve, I don't think that I should-"

"I think since you were HYDRA too, she may warm up to you," Steve responded quickly.

There was a knock at the door and Bruce walked inside, followed by a man decked out in the black army outfit similar to SHIELD's sniper assassins.

Bucky looked up curiously to see the officer. He was in his late twenties, dusty-brown hair an uncustomary length. It was only a bit shorter than Bucky's when he was a HYDRA assassin. His eyes were an intense hazel, and his features were innocent, but his expression cocky.

"Barnes, this is-"

"I'm Agent Parker Perry of SHIELD. I've come to escort Sergeant Barnes to the facility where we incarcerated the Angel of Death," the agent told them.

Bucky clenched his teeth and rounded on Steve, "You and Fury already talked about this? I never agreed to get involved with this woman!"

"Fury said that you swore to do the will of SHIELD."

"I'm not SHIELD's puppet!" Bucky hissed.

"I know you're not, Bucky, but we need your help more than ever now," Steve responded, holding up a hand to silence him.

Bucky paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. He followed Agent Perry out the door.

"So you know how to talk to the she-devil?" Agent Perry inquired, sounding too chipper as they walked towards the hospital exit.

Bucky didn't respond and the agent smiled, throwing a glance at the soldier, "So, you're Winter Soldier? I saw some of your footage and you definitely know how to handle yourself in a fight. Very kick-ass."

Bucky scowled at met his gaze. The man reminded him of an eager puppy. A child in a man's suit and thrown into a what he thought was a game of Call of Duty.

"I was not myself in the footage collected by SHIELD," Bucky answered gruffly, pushing his way though the front doors.

"Of course, I heard you were HYDRA's plaything. But you still have the skills, man! Be proud of what you've got!"

"I am not unless proud of my powers unless I am using them for good," Bucky responded.

Perry only paused a moment, then he said, "The she-devil is raising hell at the prison. Fury requested you at once and said you might need some...persuasion."

"The she-devil? I assume you mean the Angel of Death?"

"Whatever the hell you wanna call the Tasmanian Devil, she's a spitfire through and through," snorted Perry.

"She hasn't calmed down at all?" Bucky inquired.

"If nothing else, she's gotten worse since they brought her. Screaming, flailing, acting like a complete maniac," replied Perry.

Bucky frowned, "Well, let's go see if we can reason with the demon."

* * *

Together, Perry and Bucky drove to a strange office building in the slums of Jersey.

"Where are we?" Bucky asked when the pulled up around the back of the building.

"A place Agent Barton and Romonoff discovered while they were gaining their new cover. This old, empty building had a special...feature that they couldn't overlook," Perry explained, getting out of the car and pointing to the back door.

Bucky followed him and froze when they came inside. The building wasn't an office building. It looked like a dog pound with cages lining each wall. In a few cells, a different villainous looking being sat inside, looking irritable and dangerous.

"How...how did this get here?" Bucky inhaled sharply.

"No one really knows who installed it and for what purpose. I supposed we'll find out in time, but for now it's of use to SHIELD. That's all we can ask for," Perry responded, leading him up to a staircase leading into the basement.

Bucky stopped short, "I'm not going down there."

Perry turned in confusion, "Why not? This is where the she-devil is."

Bucky broke into a cold sweat as Perry stared at him intensely.

"I'd...rather not..."

"Dude, it's just a basement, not hell itself," Perry scoffed, motioning towards the basement as he trailed down the steps.

Bucky tried to keep from visibly shaking as he slowly walked down the metal stairway. They descended into the wet, cold basement. He dead stopped at the end of the stairway when he saw Fury, Barton and Romonoff all standing in front of a large dark cell.

Bucky flinched when an unearthly screech came from inside the cell. Agent Perry walked forward unabashed and said, "All right! Tin Man is here!"

Fury turned to glare at the green, eager agent, then turned his frightening stare to Bucky.

"I'm glad you've decided to join us. Our guest is a little agitated..."

Bucky moved forward, peering into the dark cage. He couldn't see anyone moving in the dark, so he shuffled nearer and looked closely inside.

Suddenly a face slammed against the other side of the bars. Bucky flew backwards in surprise as the pale, blood-stained face of the Angel pressed against the bars. She was wearing a muzzle over her mouth, like the cannibal in the movie that he and Steve so foolishly watched a few weeks prior.

Her metal arm was strapped behind her back in a half straitjacket and her leg in a strange vice that disabled it from anything except for walking. Hot, angry tears rolled down her cheeks as she grasped the bars with her left hand. She let out a muffled scream again and banged her head against the metal like a maniac.

"Why is she wearing a muzzle?"

"Because of this," Barton replied gruffly, showing Bucky a bloody bite mark on his neck.

"She bit you?" Bucky inquired in surprise, glancing at the wild, green-eyed woman as she smacked her head against the bars again.

"I was putting her restraints on and she lunged up and latched on my neck like a vampire," grumbled Barton, placing a hand over the wound tenderly.

"We've tried to talk to her, but she went bat-shit crazy on anyone who went in there," Romonoff sighed, crossing her arms as she looked at the Angel in disdain.

"It's your turn," Fury ordered, flourishing a hand towards the cell.

Bucky swallowed hard and walked towards the door. Barton moved forward to turn a key in the lock and Romonoff pulled out a hand gun and whispered, "I've got you covered Barnes."

Bucky rolled his metal shoulder and walked inside with the wild woman. His eyes adjusted to the dark slightly enough to see that the Angel had scooted herself into the far corner of the cell. She was crouching down with her knees drawn up to her chest. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, making strange nervous sounds to herself.

She'd broken down a lot from their fight just a while ago. She now seemed borderline insane,

Bucky stepped as close as he dared to the unhinged assassin. He wasn't sure what to say or how to act towards her.

He raised his hands, palms forward to show he meant her no harm. He inched forward and she watched him with intense emerald eyes. He stretched his flesh arm out and unwrapped the mask from around her mouth.

She licked her lips in distaste and didn't move as she continued to stare.

Bucky hesitated for a moment, his mind churning as her familiar face aimed towards his.

"Barnes, don't let down your guard..." Romonoff's husky voice came from the door.

Bucky put a hand up to silence her and he moved down, sitting cross-legged in front of the woman.

"Angel of Death...I'm here to get to know you a little better."

"Screw you!" she screeched at him, her head twitching to the left.

Bucky leaned his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, "I want to get to know you."

"Like hell you want to get to know me! You're just trying to get me to trust you so you can use me against my employer," she spat, then threw herself forward and rammed her head into Bucky's.

Bucky fell back and the Angel leaped on top of him, straddling his chest. She aimed her flesh elbow to smash into his face. Bucky blocked his face with his metal arm and she stopped.

Bucky dared to look up at she stared at his arm, a glazed look in her eyes. The soldier took this time to wrench her off him. He stood and pinned her against the wall, pinning her free arm behind her back.

Barton was suddenly at his side, asking, "Do we need anything?"

"How about, I don't know, a straitjacket with both arms?" snapped Bucky angrily.

Barton ran out to obey the order and Bucky pressed Angel firmly against the wall.

"Get your hands off me!" snarled the Angel, looking over her shoulder as best she could with her cheek pressed in the brick wall.

"You jumped me first," Bucky returned with a smirk, "Actually, you-"

Bucky gasped, his brain searing as another thought of this woman flare up in his mind.

* * *

_I never saw her cry. But as I walked towards her, her freckled face shadowed with terror. She scooted away, I could clearly see the wide-eyed horror in her emerald eyes. My eyes flicked to her long, wavy auburn hair and then to the tears dripping from her eyes. Her body trembled. Her arms drawn up in defense. _

_"Bucky, please! It's me!" she cried out to me, reaching out to put a hand against my chest._

_I didn't know where I was, all around us was a hazy white hue. She was the only thing to which my sight could latch. _

_I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Instead, I felt my metal arm come up. I looked at it in surprise as the arm moved by itself, a knife clutched in my fist. It swung back and then hurtled down towards the frightened woman._

_"NO!" I felt my soul scream as the knife connected with the woman's heart._

* * *

Bucky let go of the girl as if she was on fire. She fell to her knees and rolled to safe distance away from him.

Bucky gaped at her in shock. She was obviously someone who was extremely important to him. But why couldn't he remember?

"Who the hell are you?" Bucky cried out, digging his fingers into hair in confusion.

The Angel looked up, a flash of fear in her eyes... the same as he'd seen her in his mind's eye. She scowled, answering in a less confident voice than before, "I told you before, I'm the Angel of Death."

Bucky sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Getting her to trust him was turning out harder than he thought. But then, again, Steve had to try hard to bring memories of them to the surface. Bucky knew this woman was important to him, and he wouldn't give up on trying to reach out to her.


	7. We're All Mad Here

**A/N: Hi everyone! I can not tell you how excited I am for this upcoming chapter, because things are really starting to set in motion! Also, we get into a little more depth with my OC that people really seem to like: Parker Perry! Please let me know how you feel about him in this story!**

**Thanks again to all the lovely, kind reviewers who have so graciously told me not to sweat some of the slower chapters. I live on your support, this would not be happening without you! Thanks for taking the time to review my story each new chapter!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**Fire and Fury by Skillet**

**Decode by Paramore**

**Learn to Breathe by Thousand Foot Krutch**

* * *

Chapter 7

We're All Mad Here

Bucky stood on the outside of the Angel's cage, watching her huddle in the corner. His hands clasped behind his back as he thought about the woman. It'd been a few hours since he'd last gone inside the cell. He'd gone upstairs for a bit to the top loft where there was a lounge area, but he found himself unable to settle down. So, he wandered back into the basement alone to see the assassin again.

She muttered to herself, rocking back and forth again on her feet. Bucky crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, apprehensive of his next close encounter with her.

"Are you okay?" a voice came from behind him.

Bucky turned around and saw Steve limping towards him.

"Steve, you're walking already!" Bucky exclaimed as Steve ambled to his side.

"Regenerative cells, remember," Steve chuckled, looking into the prison cell and whispered, "So that's her..."

Bucky nodded and muttered, "I was just about to talk with her again."

"I can cover you while you're in there," Steve said, leaning over to pull Bucky's handgun out of its holster.

"Actually, I think I need to be alone," Bucky replied.

Steve looked at Bucky warily, but the ex-assassin gave him a small, reassuring smile, "Trust me. You can go up to the top level and get some more rest."

Steve looked relieved, then started to leave. Before he got out of the door, he halted and called over his shoulder, "By the way, thanks."

"What for?" Bucky inquired, brow furrowing.

"For what you said in the hospital...I'm glad you think of us as best friends still...I was beginning to lose hope," Steve responded, a smirk playing on his lips.

Bucky gawked at Steve, he had no idea that the soldier heard any of what he'd said. Steve gave Bucky a mock salute, then disappeared up the stairway.

The ex-assassin snorted and turned back to the cell. He blinked when he saw Angel moved from her corner and was leaning hard into the prison bars. She settled her chin on the bar and smiled eerily at Bucky, "That was an adorable exchange. Are you two dating?"

Bucky glared at Angel, but didn't say a thing. He plucked up the key and carefully unlocked, then entered the cell.

Angel turned as he came in, but didn't move from her place against the bars. Bucky locked the door behind him and sat down again on the floor, cross-legged. The Angel gave him a strange look and she said in a drawling tone, "You know you're very vulnerable in that position."

"I think I'll be all right," Bucky answered, expressionless.

"Don't underestimate me, I can still beat your ass with both hands tied behind my back," she snarled.

Bucky laced his fingers together and looked up at Angel, not amused.

"Let's have a talk," Bucky said, patting the floor in front of him.

"I'm not getting anywhere near you, Winter Soldier," she snapped, backing away.

"You know, my name isn't Winter Soldier. And I don't think your name is really Angel of Death," Bucky responded, "You want to tell me what it is?"

"I don't have another name," she replied, averting her green eyes.

"Yes, you do. Think hard, what is your other name? You know that you aren't just the Angel of Death, just like I wasn't just the Winter Soldier. It's only a stage name."

"I told you there is NOTHING!" Angel roared, running at him again, but this time he was prepared.

He stood swiftly and grabbed her by the shoulders before she could completely throw herself into him. He looked her dead in the eye and growled, "I understand that you're angry. But listen to what I'm saying to you, I'm trying to free you from the cage! HYDRA made a weapon you, brainwashed you! Don't you want to have a mind of your own?"

"I live to serve HYDRA! There is nothing beyond that! I'm cleansing the earth of the corrupt and imperfect. I will do anything for the hand of HYDRA!" Angel yelled back at him.

"No, you don't live to serve! You think you do, but I know that feeling. It's empty, like a stomach that has grown accustomed to a lack of food! You know you want more, deep down inside! Listen, if just one thing about your life makes you suspicious, just one red flag goes up, I beg you to heed my words! Just remember your memory was erased over and over, so you can't trust your own mind-" Bucky stopped mid sentence, a loud memory taking over his mind...

* * *

_I took the young woman's hand in my gloved cybernetic hand, "You've had your memory erased. You can't trust your own mind. You need to follow your gut instinct. If nothing about Jack Jefferson seems strange to you, just tell me and I won't test out the simulator. I won't ever say anything negative about him again. I trust your feelings. But if there is even one red flag going up in your mind, I beg you to let me keep investigating."_

_She looked up at me for a long moment and bit her lip, eyes dropping to her boots._

_"I just want something to be real, and I thought that discovering my father would bring me clarity..." she whispered in a broken tone._

_I felt my heart tighten. I understood her longing to know the past. I knew the horrors of having an entire part of my life stolen from me._

_I gently pulled the woman into my arms and enveloped her in a tender hug. I felt her only hesitate a moment before melting into my chest, wrapping her arms around my middle. She buried her face in my flesh shoulder. I could feel her entire body quaking against my frame._

_"We are real, Lacey," I murmured into to her auburn hair, placing my flesh hand gently on the small of her back, "And we can only trust one another from now on."_

_...Lacey._

_...Lacey Turner?_

* * *

Bucky reeled backwards with a loud, horrendous gasp of tribulation. This couldn't be right! This girl, the one he'd remembered so many times, faceless and distorted, was the girl who'd once attempted to save him from himself.

Flashes of memories hit Bucky in waves...

_"Bucky, please don't!" She reached her hand out to me, pleading as I raised my fist to her._

Bucky grasped his head in his hands and stumbled...

_I opened my eyes for the first time against the harsh light and saw the most beautiful face I'd ever seen sitting at my side._

_"Sergeant James Barnes, you're all right. You're safe."_

Bucky groaned against the torrent of memories spurting through his mind. Everything that he'd lost over the years in his memory bank, all the pieces were finally coming back in place...

_"Holy shit!" I gawked at two kissing men on the other side of the 'fast food' restaurant._

_"Bucky!" an urgent voice snapped me out of my shock as her gentle hand pulled me aside._

Bucky crashed against the cell door, unaware of Angel's horrified expression. Bucky quickly turned the lock, then secured it before running out of the basement, barreling up the stairs.

He rammed into Nick Fury on accident in passing.

"Dammit, Barnes, what's the-" he cried out but Bucky was already making his way up the next flight of stairs to the rooftop.

* * *

Agent Parker Perry stood with his mouth agape as Bucky slammed Fury into the wall, then crashed up the stairway.

"Go keep an eye on the assassin!" Fury barked at Parker, then motioned for Steve to follow Bucky upstairs.

Parker nodded and trailed down to the cellar. His wide-eyed demeanor changed drastically to an exasperated expression. He sighed as he crossed his arms, coming to a halt in front of the cage.

"What did you do?" he inquired in a superior tone, hazel eyes searing into the darkness.

Angel slowly came into view and she leaned against the bars and gave Parker a huge grin, "Oh, I didn't do a thing. He was rambling on about saving me from HYDRA. Blah, blah, blah. And then he started teetering like drunk, shrieked and ran out"

"I have a hard time believing that you didn't do _anything_. You're always the vicious one, Angel..." Parker told her.

Angel smirked again, "And you're too soft. I should tell your father about you running down here acting like you're concerned for the Winter Soldier."

"Of course I'm concerned for him, he's one of us," Parker answered, scowling.

"Not anymore! He doesn't think the way we do, he's gone soft. I should have no issue choosing whether to capture or kill him. There isn't a trace of HYDRA's fire left in him."

"I hardly see the employment with HYDRA as fiery..." huffed Parker, looking off to the side, "These are orders, not a passion."

"Maybe not for you, Hellfire, but for me it's my life and devotion," snarled Angel.

Parker flinched at the sound of his alias, "Don't call me that here, you don't know who could be listening."

"Aw, you like that they think your are just a human, don't you?" scoffed Angel, licking her lips.

Parker growled underneath his breath and reached through the bars to grab a hold of her shirt collar, "If you are so tough, why haven't you killed Winter Soldier yet?"

Angel hesitated, then rolled her eyes, "I'm biding my time, Perry."

"Is that so? Then what are you waiting for? Are you losing focus for some reason?"

Angel pulled away from his grip and snapped, "I don't lose my focus, that's my partner's job. And you're doing a damn good job on losing sight of why we are here. Keep on your task and I'll keep on mine."

Parker grasped the bars and spoke seriously to the assassin, "I'm here to protect you only, and I say the longer we stay here, the harder it is for me to do that. It's only a matter of time before they look twice at the records I forged and find out that I'm not a SHIELD agent. And they'll find out that this site actually does have a track record for HYDRA's business."

"Relax, cupcake, it'll all end up all right. And it's not like I need you to protect me," she responded, walking to the other side of the room.

"I'm your partner, we work best at each other's sides. You need me," Parker responded angrily.

"Keep telling yourself that," Angel answered, sliding to the sitting position on the floor.

Parker grit his teeth and turned away, taking his handgun out of its holster and aimed it at her.

"Oh, you're gonna shoot me now?" she laughed, "After all we've been through together."

"I'm guarding to make sure you don't escape, that's why I'm down here."

He heard her snort again, "You don't have to take your gun out, I'm not going to escape."

"I'm a green agent who is over-eager, remember? I suggest you stick to your character as well," Parker retorted.

"I thought I was playing up 'The Joker' act pretty well. I seem insane, don't I?"

"You're acting? I'm sorry, I didn't even realize," growled Parker.

"Oh, ouch, that hurt," responded Angel sarcastically.

Parker rolled his eyes and went silent, fearing that one of the SHIELD agents would walk down and catch them bickering like little children.

He and the Angel of Death had been partners for years. And she was the most menacing HYDRA agent he'd ever seen. She was intelligent, skilled and ruthless. But she had rude traits to match. Most agents would not work with her, so HYDRA paired her up with Parker Perry. A quiet spirit whose powers that didn't align with his personality. He was usually able to take Angel's nastiness in stride, but that didn't mean she didn't get to him sometimes.

Parker fumed in anger, then smelled the strange scent of melting plastic. He scowled and looked down at his hand to find the handle of the handgun turn to stringy putty in his feverish grip. He cursed under his breath as he peeled the gunk off his fingers, then stuffed the remainder of the weapon back in its holster.

"Temper, temper," sneered Angel, Parker detecting the evil grin in her tone.

"Shut the hell up," Parker responded, pacing about the cellar.

He honestly couldn't wait for Bucky to get back so he could deal with her instead...

* * *

**A/N from Mad Hatter: Hey, I totally forgot to tell you guys what I imagined my OC to look like! I say that they are look alikes, but I'm not ripping off any actors. I'm just telling you who inspired the characters:**

**Lacey Turner - Emilie de Ravin. I saw her WITH DARK HAIR and I thought she looked exactly how I imaged, minus the fact that she doesn't have green eyes. I also see her having an Emma Stone-ish personality, which someone mentioned earlier.**

**Jillian Rue - Marion Cotillard. I imagine her to look like her character in the Dark Knight Rises (which I hated her in that...so...)**

**Parker Perry - Is based off of Taylor Kitsch, mostly from his look in the beginning of Battleship or in the movie The Covenant! **

**So, yeah, those are my OC's that were inspired by actors and actresses. Because, I mean, you can't really visualize an OC without putting a face to them! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Kiss of Death

**A/N: Thank you all for your lovely notes about you thinking this story is interesting! It's so encouraging! I adore all you nice readers and your reviews, you keep me going! **

**And guysss, you all don't like Parker Perry? I'm so sorry! But he could possibly be a reoccurring character in my story, so you may have to get used to him :( I'm sorry! **

**-Musical Inspiration:**

**I See Fire by Ed Sheeran**

**Just Give Me A Reason by P!Nk**

**It's Time by Imagine Dragons**

* * *

Chapter 8

Kiss of Death

Bucky burst on the roof, deeply inhaling the cool night air. His mind raced as he came to a sliding stop at the edge of the building, looking over the wall to the New Jersey streets below. He placed his fingers against his temples and applied an ample amount of pressure, trying to relieve the growing pain in his brain.

"Bucky?" Steve's familiar voice called.

Bucky didn't answer, just lowered his hands and leaned his forearms on the cement wall.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Steve inquired, coming up right next to Bucky urgently.

Bucky felt a strange lump of emotions in his throat as his memories returned. He was glad he no longer was missing part of his life anymore, but still he wished he could forget the awful things he'd done...

"No..." Bucky muttered, running a hand through his short hair.

"What did the assassin say to you?"

"It's nothing she said to me, it's something I said that brought on a memory," answered Bucky.

Steve looked intently at Bucky as the ex-assassin sighed, then continued, "I know her...I was once friends with the Angel of Death."

Steve inhaled sharply, but remained silent.

"It was years ago, I believe. Alexander Pierce had an idea of how to enhance my cruelty. Through shared mind simulations, his estranged daughter and I grew close. Then, he tore us both out of the simulation and wiped my memory, then tossed me back into a totally different simulation. I don't remember what happened clearly, but I lost control under the influence of the simulation and mutilated the Angel in cold blood. I-I thought...I thought I killed her that night. I've always had the feeling in my gut that I did something terrible...something unforgivable. Thought until now I couldn't remember what I'd done."

"Did you tell her? Did she remember you?" Steve asked with concern, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder.

"I didn't tell her a thing. How could I? I should say, 'Oh, yeah, you look awfully familiar. I think I half killed you once! Do you remember me?'" Bucky exclaimed, metal fingers gripping the cement ledge and crushing a hunk of the molded rock in his hand.

Bucky let the cement crumble out of his fingers as he leaned his elbows on the wall and looked over the edge, distantly.

"Her name was Lacey Turner...or should I say, Lacey Pierce. I suppose would make more sense now that I remember the truth..." Bucky muttered into the night sky, not looking over at his friend.

"You need to tell her about her past," Steve informed him.

Bucky scoffed in return, "I can't just throw her into an icy lake after she's been asleep for so long! It was frightening when I got a full-on dose of remembering my past. I need to break it to her gently."

"You could do that after you gain her trust...and in the meantime, see if she can spill some of HYDRA's secrets," Steve responded.

Bucky grit his teeth, "I suppose it doesn't matter that this girl was thwarted and taken advantage of by a rogue operation? All that matters is if we get the damned information!"

"People are dying, Bucky. I'm not going to stand by and let that happen," Steve retorted with a growl, "This woman has killed-"

"So have I," snarled Bucky, pulling away from the wall and pacing the roof.

"You need to discuss this with Fury, to choose your next path. We're wasting time while SHIELD agents are dying. All our lives are in danger, Buck," Steve responded, walking away from the ledge and towards the door leading downstairs.

Bucky huffed and went back to his place on the ledge, thinking of the woman who'd once been his ally.

He flinched when the mental picture of her broken body laying at his feet flashed in his mind's eye.

His past voice echoed in his ears, _"What have I done?"_

Bucky shuddered, biting his lip, knowing that he needed to face the woman again. He just didn't know how he could keep her at a distance. He feared that he'd slip and call her by her name, but he couldn't let that happen.

He had to let her down easy.

She needed to trust him.

* * *

Bucky slowly stepped into the basement again, totally bypassing the chat Steve had suggested he should have with Fury. He would do this on his own.

He saw the young Agent Perry standing in front of the cell. Perry turned around when he heard Bucky's quiet step, giving him a wide smile.

"You ready to try again? Good luck, man. She hasn't calmed down at all..."

Bucky looked past the agent and saw Lacey crouched in the middle of the cell, a wild look in her eye.

"Would you mind giving Angel and I another moment alone?" Bucky inquired,

"Sure...what was all the commotion earlier though when you ran out of here?" asked Perry as he passed Bucky.

Bucky didn't answer, just went over to open the cell door again.

"...Hey, pretty-boy!" Angel suddenly called, clearly speaking to Perry.

Perry froze and turned around, looking at the Angel with a terrified expression.

"Don't be gone too long..." she said with an unhinged, seductive look on her face.

Perry gulped and scampered up the stairway in fear. Bucky frowned and stepped inside the cell, closing the door behind him.

He assumed his regular position across from Lacey, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Why do you always do that?" Lacey snarled, standing up and away from him.

"Why do you always shy away?" retorted Bucky.

"You really expect me to be best buddies with you? I'm a HYDRA agent and you are a traitor!" Lacey spat.

"I'm not a traitor. My brain was tampered with by HYDRA, just like yours. We were their tools, not their employees! We never chose that path!"

"How do you know? You don't know anything about me!" barked Lacey, storming up to tower over Bucky.

Bucky stood up as well, coming to his full height which was a head taller than her. Lacey didn't break her tense gaze, her emerald eyes burning as she glared.

"I know a lot more than you think. I was the same as you once," Bucky told her.

Lacey blinked, her eyes softening exponentially. Bucky gave a half-smile and continued, "You don't have to do this anymore. You've been out of cryo for a while, your memories will come back. Don't worry."

"Y-You think I had a life before this?"

"Everyone had a life before being a HYDRA weapon, you weren't born a mindless killing machine," Bucky said quietly.

"You know, the more I talk to you...the more I am starting to remember..." Lacey murmured.

Bucky scowled as his heart began to pound in anticipation, "You are?"

A sweet smile graced her lips, like the ones that Bucky used to remember. The ones she'd always give him right before a tender hug or a kind comment.

"I think...I remember you too...we had a thing once, didn't we?" Lacey purred, smiling saucily as she leaned into him.

Bucky felt caught off guard as Lacey fell into his chest, face aiming towards him. He gasped lightly as she stood on her tip-toes and pressed her lips firmly against his. He blinked, eyes almost crossing as he struggled to look at her face at close proximity.

A wave of desire hit him, remembering how much he'd once loved the old Lacey. Had she really changed? She wouldn't be kissing him otherwise, she acted too insane while under the effect of the mind wipe. The kiss...it was convincing...

Bucky's mental analysis wasn't working as it should have, with Lacey's intoxicating embrace overtaking his mind. Bucky let his eyes slide shut as Lacey's lips slid against his. He let his robotic hand move up, cupping her jaw and pulling him closer into himself. He felt his mind grow fuzzy, all his old feelings for Lacey coming through the kiss, which grew more passionate by the second.

His eyebrows suddenly knit together when he heard an odd ripping noise. His eyes snapped open just in time to feel something sharp split the skin on a portion of his chest and slip underneath his ribs.

Lacey's lips tore away from his and he stumbled backwards. She pulled the rest of the damaged straitjacket off of her flesh arm as Bucky clawed at the knife stuck in his ribs. He pulled it out with a cringe and grasped the weapon in his bionic grip, ready to defend himself against the woman.

"But...I thought you-"

"I lie sometimes and you played right into my trap. You're dumber than you look!" exclaimed Lacey.

Bucky grit his teeth and went for her, but his wound slowed him down. Lacey caught him in the jaw with a sharp blow from her bionic elbow. He fell back against the brick wall and pressed a hand to his oozing wound.

He looked up in horror when he noticed Lacey swiped his key somehow from his pocket. This most likely occurred during that kiss Bucky stupidly received.

Lacey flaunted the key by throwing it in the air, then catching it before turning it in the keyhole. She popped open the cell door, then closed it behind her, locking Bucky inside.

"You won't get out," Bucky snarled, weakly leaning against the wall, "Perry is right on the next floor."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," sniffed Lacey, calling up the stairway, "Hey, Flamefingers! Are you done up there yet?"

To Bucky's shock, a serious-faced Parker Perry appeared at her call, not phased by her being out of the cage. He sauntered up to her and crossed his arms, "We've got a few minutes to get him and go."

"Let him die in here. We aren't taking him hostage. He's compromised," Lacey told Perry, taking a gun out of Perry's belt.

"So you want me to light up this room too?" Perry inquired.

"Torch it, Hellfire," ordered Lacey with a yawn as she checked the bullets in the hand gun.

"Head out, I'll be up in a minute," answered Perry with a nod.

Lacey started to walk away, but Bucky moved weakly to the bars of the cell and called, "Lacey, you don't have to do this! You weren't always this way!"

Lacey halted and glanced at Bucky, her face looking confused. They locked eyes for a moment, his stormy irises matching her green.

"Angel, go," Perry sharply called to her, breaking the stare.

Lacey tore her eyes away from Bucky, then dashed up the steps without a second glance.

Perry stepped forward and lifted his arms.

"You're HYDRA too, I presume," Bucky stated, leaning against the bars.

Perry flinched and looked at Bucky, "Shut up."

"Don't do this..." breathed Bucky as columns of flames suddenly appeared in Perry's palms.

Perry blinked at Bucky, not moving as the fire swirled around his arms. An explosion sounded upstairs and Perry let the fire fizzle out. He looked upwards, then back at Bucky. He pointed a sinister finger at the ex-assassin and hissed, "Know that I'm not letting you go. It'll be just a few extra minutes by the time the fire upstairs consumes everything."

With that being said, Perry turned around and dashed up the stairway.

Bucky heard another crash upstairs and assumed the fire was eating the upper levels. He shakily stood and limped to the door. He balled his metal fist and punched the lock. It dented in, but didn't break. The old iron lock was tougher than he thought! He used up the rest of his strength to repeatedly punch the door until it busted. He tripped out of the cell and frantically looked around, spotting a ground level window on the far side of the room. He easily ripped out the window panel and pulled himself through with great effort. He wriggled outside and kept his arm clenched around his wound as he looked up at the building that was completely ablaze.

Fear suddenly gripped him, hoping that Steve got everyone out in time. Bucky dragged himself away from any falling embers, then let out a breath of relief to see Steve trotting up to him.

"Is everyone all right?" Bucky exclaimed, pulling himself to his feet.

"Yeah, we found out the place was on fire before it spread. What happened?" Steve inquired, noticing Bucky struggling on the ground to stand.

Steve helped him up and Bucky shook his head, "Lacey tricked me...and Perry is HYDRA as well. Lacey and he were working together."

"Did they start the fire?" inquired Steve in shock.

"Agent Perry...he's superhuman like you and I. Only he possesses the ability to channel fire through his fingertips. I don't know how it's possible, but I saw it with my own eyes," answered Bucky, pressing his palm against his still bleeding wound.

"Come on, we need to get on the move again and fix that," Steve told him, helping him to the curb where Fury was hot-wiring a car.

Bucky felt like his mind was a million miles away Steve dragged him to the car. He thought of the horrid sneer on Lacey's face as she stabbed him. She was so far gone...

He would only have to try harder to reach out to her

* * *

"Come on, Angel, why are you lagging?" Parker inquired, racing down an alleyway, looking over his shoulder at his partner, "We are meeting the van on 43rd Street in 3 minutes!"

Lacey slowly trotted behind him, her mind a jumbled mess. The man, the one who turned against HYDRA, called her a name she'd not heard in years.

_Lacey._

Was that her name? It sounded so right, so familiar. The name must have been hers...or was he just trying to call her a name with confidence to confuse her.

"Hey, are you all right?" Parker asked, rounding back and reaching out to her.

Lacey blinked and yanked away, "Don't you touch me with those red-hot fingers of yours. I'm not getting any more burns!"

"Calm down. I was just asking if you are okay?" snapped Parker, giving her a withering glare.

"I'm fine...I just...it's nothing," hummed Lacey, then she asked, "You killed the HYDRA traitor, correct? You are certain he is dead."

A steeled look came over Parker's young features and he gave her a sharp nod after a short hesitation, "He's dead."

Lacey nodded, looking away for a moment in thought.

"Let's get a move on, Hell, the van is waiting for us," growled Lacey suddenly, pushing the confusion away from the forefront of her mind and dragged Parker down the alley.

She knew that her past was hidden from her and it all tied in with the tall, brunette man with the bionic arm. She sighed, knowing she needed to let it go because she knew that the man dead.

It was over now.


	9. Dead Silence

**A/N: Hey everyone! Next chapter that I'm really excited for! I am proudly introducing you to yet another OC that is setting up for something spectacular! I can't wait for reveals! **

**Thanks to you all for such kind notes! You all are the best! Enjoy this chapter!**

**-Musical Inspiration:**

**Battle by Steve Jablonsky (Dark of the Moon OST)**

**Aggressive Expansion by Hans Zimmer &James Newton Howard (Dark Knight OST)**

**Prelude 12/21 by AFI**

* * *

Chapter 9

Dead Silence

Angel and Hell jumped into the dark van awaiting them at the end of the alleyway. As soon as Angel stepped into the car, she felt a strong pair of hands grab her arms and twist them behind her, locking handcuffs around her wrists.

"Really, Johnny? Quit acting like Angel's the enemy," huffed Parker, tossing the one who held Angel an exasperated look.

Angel twisted around and looked up at the shadowed face of Parker's older brother, Johnny Perry. His natural angry demeanor instantly rubbed Angel the wrong way. She gave his body a disgusted once-over. He was a huge man; tall, muscular and intimidating. He wore dark grey cargo pants, heavy black combat boots and a black tank top stretched over his muscled chest and torso. His two thick, bared arms revealed the twists and turns of the tribal tattoos he'd applied to his biceps. His face held the same innocent features that Parker's did, with the same childish nose and full lips, but his dark expression always masked any kindness he might have possessed in his soul. A faint bit of scruff dappled his face and his brown hair seemed darker in the shrouded van. His glared down at her with the same hazel Parker had, not a spark of friendliness emanating from the irises.

This man was practically opposite of his younger brother. Parker was laid back and friendly when not pressured by work. This man was tense, ruthless and humorless.

His dark presence and ability to kill whoever he wished, made him known throughout HYDRA as the Reaper.

"Did you kill the Winter Soldier?" he said in a gruff voice, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Of course, otherwise we wouldn't be back here!" scoffed Angel, rolling her own eyes, pulling her cuffed hands away from him.

"Do you really have to cuff her, man?" Parker complained, looking at his restrained partner.

"You've been out of cryo for three days, Angel. We're taking you back to reboot," Johnny replied without any acknowledgement to his brother's words.

Angel's body suddenly felt old and tired. Anytime she returned to cryo, after an excruciating wipe, she felt years older than her age...whatever that age might have been.

The driver pulled off the curb and passed the street in front of the burning building. Angel turned her head to see movement by a car that sat in front of the building. She narrowed her eyes, seeing a strangely familiar man with a metal arm being helped into the backseat. He looked injured, but very much alive.

"Dammit, Hellfire, you said you killed him!" Angel exclaimed, shouting at the driver to stop.

Parker leaned towards the window, face blanching in the dark.

"Didn't you light up that room he was in like I asked?" growled Angel.

"I-I thought I...I mean, the fire should have swallowed him...I-"

"He's a super soldier! If you gave him the time to escape, he would sure as hell do it," snapped Angel, trying not to wince as her leg twinged a bit as whipped around and yelled at Johnny, "Get these cuffs off me!"

Not phased, Johnny pushed her aside and slide the door open.

"What are you doing?" Angel exclaimed, "This is my mission! Let me out!"

"You're verging on being compromised. I'll take it from here."

"You can't just flounce in and take my mission over! HYDRA will be furious!" Angel squawked, uselessly ramming her shoulder in Johnny's firm stomach.

He didn't even flinch as he reached over quickly to open a large metal toolbox. From within, he grasped a chain and eased out a two-pronged scythe.

Angel immediately backed away, her instincts telling her to escape this sinister weapon. Her heart pumped as his stature and level of evil reminded her of the creepy-ass Pyramid Head from _Silent Hill: Revelation_ (a movie Parker showed her once when she was allowed a night out of cryo.)

Johnny rose to his full height and slung the chain scythe over his shoulder.

"All things considered, I don't believe HYDRA will mind," Johnny roughly responded as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"I swear to God, I'm going to kill your brother someday!" Angel snarled to Parker.

"You couldn't put a scratch on him, even if you had a couple of people to help you," Parker responded blandly.

Angel grumbled under her breath as Parker closed the van door.

"Drive where we can't be seen," Park hissed to the driver.

"You know..." Angel suddenly hummed, "This may be the day we witness the Reaper's fall."

"What makes you say that?" Parker inquired sharply.

"They have Bruce Banner with them, remember?"

Parker paled and looked back at his brother, who was slowly and heavily sauntering down the road towards the fleeing SHIELD agents.

"He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world," murmured Angel in awe.

"That's what makes him so frightening..." Parker replied, staring at johnny with a worried expression, "He knows he's practically invincible."

Angel glanced at Parker, knowing he feared for Johnny. In all the years she'd known the boys, they never showed affection towards one another. Especially on Johnny's end. Parker would clap his brother now and then on the shoulder, but that was the extent of brotherly interaction. But Angel knew they both, deep down, cared for one another.

"I should help him," Parker rumbled, reaching for the door handle.

"Are you joking? He'll rip you apart! If anything goes awry, we'll go in, but otherwise we are going to stay put!" Angel shouted, kicking her bionic foot out to pin Parker's hand to the door.

Parker cursed and wriggled his hand out of her hold. He glared at her as he flicked his hand as if to forcibly rid himself of the pain.

Angel turned back to the impending fight and gulped, staring at the double-pronged scythe dangling from the long, metal chain hanging on his shoulder.

Parker once informed her that the assassin added a chain link for every victim he murdered.

Angel wondered how many more links would be added that night.

* * *

Bucky yelped as Steve settled him into the backseat of the stolen car.

"He's losing a lot of blood," Agent Rue said worriedly, coming through the opposite door.

"You think?" gasped Bucky sarcastically, gritting his teeth as another wave of pain hit him.

"He needs to go to the hospital. We can't fix this on our own," Rue told Steve, who nodded in agreement.

"We can't go to the hospital we were at before. We need to find the next closest," Agent Romanoff added.

"And we need to get out of here before the fire department shows up," Agent Barton chimed in.

Steve looked around, "Why hasn't anyone shown up yet, I wonder?"

The group of agents went silent when the eerie realization came over them. The fire had blazed on for 10 minutes and not a soul had come to investigate.

Bucky looked up to see Steve's eyes locked on something down the road.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Bucky inquired urgently.

"Stay here..." Steve muttered, motioning to Banner, who also had his eyes glued on whatever they spotted.

"I don't really have a choice," Bucky grumbled, but still winced as he twisted around so he could see out the rear window.

His eyes widened, seeing a lone man trudging down the road. His calm, swinging steps contradicted the ferocity that radiated from every fiber of his being.

"What the hell is that...?" Bucky mumbled in shock.

Bucky watched Steve and Bruce carefully walk towards the man. The huge man who had the potential to be a beast.

His tank-top clad upper body rippled with layers of thick muscle. His legs were study as his heavy steps fell on the asphalt.

His right arm was bent back, holding a chain over his shoulder. Bucky's eyes fell upon the odd weapon on the end of the chain behind his back. It looked like a sort of large scythe.

Bucky strained his mind to remember this man. He didn't remember the fire-wielding man , but this one looked familiar to him. Had he worked with the muscular one while in HYDRA?

Bucky scooted towards the door and settled his feet on the ground outside. He tried not to cry out as he pulled himself to his feet. He leaned against the car frame, watching Steve and Bruce approach the menacing being.

"Another HYDRA assassin?" Fury inquired from next to Bucky.

Bucky glanced over his shoulder to see Barton, Romanoff, 13 and Rue all looking shaken.

"He's different..."13 squeaked, pulling out a gun.

"I doubt it, he doesn't even seen superhuman," Rue responded with a scoff, "He looks like all show."

Nonetheless, everyone began to ready their weapons of choice.

"State your name!" Steve ordered the oncoming enemy, pulling his shield off his back and holding it before him.

The man didn't say a word. With one swift, strong movement, he whipped the chain from off his back and swung it around so that it landed a few feet in front of him, the sharp prongs stabbing the ground, slicing easily into the asphalt like stabbing a piece of cake.

Barton breathed out behind Bucky, "Damn."

"i guess that means you aren't here to see if we're okay..." sighed Steve, throwing his shield roughly at the man.

The enemy spun out of the way and yanked the scythe out of the ground, spinning it above his head, then hurtled it at Steve.

The Captain moved, but was a split second too slow. He missed the razor-sharp edge of the scythe, but the chain tripped him before he could get away.

Steve fell hard to the ground, then quickly blocked himself with his shield as the scythe came down towards his chest. The weapon ricocheted with a loud _-clang-_ and the man pulled the chain and spun it above his head again.

The agents behind Bucky took this moment to raise their guns and bow, but the enemy turned sharply towards them as they fired. He lifted a hand an suddenly a large wall of rock emerged from the floor and blocked him from the line of fire.

Bucky's jaw almost dropped open at realization of the man's powers. He remembered this man!

"The Reaper..." thought Bucky, "But he's-"

Bucky's head snapped up when he saw Steve dodge another swipe from the scythe.

The Reaper looked bored with long-range fighting. He stepped closer to his opponents and Bucky shouted at his comrades in horror, "No, wait! We need to get out of here now! _Now_!"

Just as Bucky uttered the words, the Reaper took burst into a terrifyingly fast dash towards Bruce, who hadn't turned into the 'other guy' yet. Quicker than Bruce could comprehend, the Reaper was behind him and shoved the scythe all the way through his back, so the ends poked through his stomach.

"Bruce!" Steve shouted.

"No!" Bucky and the other agents all shouted.

Bruce's shocked face remained blank as he fell to his knees, then on his face into the ground.

Bucky grit his teeth and ignored the pain in his stomach, tearing a handgun from Romanoff's hand and raced at the Reaper.

"Be smart and don't interfere!" Bucky ordered as he tore towards the HYDRA assassin.

The Reaper's eyes locked on Bucky. The ex-Winter Soldier threw his bionic fist at the Reaper's face, and with his flesh hand he shot the gun towards his chest.

The Reaper caught Bucky's fist and the bullet hit a plate of rock that had risen from the ground in front of his body.

"Ah, my old friend. I see you've decided to come out from cowering behind your friends," the Reaper growled, a dark look flashing in his eyes.

"I haven't been cowering..." snarled Bucky in return, taking his flesh hand and punched the enemy in the jaw.

The Reaper's head tossed to the side, but he experienced no other setbacks from the blow. He did look infuriated by the action, as his eyes switched back to Bucky.

Suddenly the whizzing of the shield neared their heads and the Reaper pulled Bucky forward, forcing his bionic arm to catch the shield.

"Thank you," the Reaper said in a faux-kind voice.

The Reaper ripped the shield out of Bucky's grip and threw it into the burning building with all his might.

"I would appreciate if you didn't interfere again, Captain," hissed the Reaper.

Bucky suddenly screamed when the Reaper took a hold of his fist and completely crushed the metal in between his two bare hands, like wadding up a ball of tin foil.

Bucky fell back, clutching his ruined arm to his chest and fell backwards.

An abrupt roar filled the air and Bucky felt a smirk grace his face, despite his blinding pain.

"You're g-gonna regret stabbing Bruce Banner," groaned Bucky.

The Reaper looked over at Bruce Banner once downed human body, who was now tall, muscular and very green. The Hulk looked at the Reaper in pure rage, bellowing at him menacingly.

The Reaper reeled in the scythe and slung it over his back again. He didn't move as the Hulk charged at him, bringing a mighty green fist down and slamming it into the majority of the assassin's body.

A blow like that would have sent even Steve Rogers sailing, but like a rock, the Reaper remained in the same place. His hands crossed in front of his face, legs bent slightly to take the impact. The Hulk even seemed apparently shocked by the effect it didn't have on the enemy.

The Reaper snorted in amusement, then shoved the Hulk back with a strengthened push of his muscled arms. Irate, the Hulk roared and ran at the Reaper again. This time the Reaper took his scythe and swung it, striking the Hulk with the blunt end of the weapon.

The Hulk flew backwards and landed on his back. Bucky gaped at the Hulk, appalled at the turn of events, as did all the other SHIELD agents. When Bucky tuned back to the Reaper, he was gone. Almost as if he vanished into thin air.

"What the hell?" Steve exclaimed, still distracted by the Hulk struggling to push himself to his feet.

The Hulk, angered that the madman with the scythe disappeared, smashed his fists against the floor and exclaimed in his warped voice, **"HULK SMASH HYDRA."**

"Who in the hell was that guy?" Fury demanded, running out from behind the rock wall formed by the Reaper.

Bucky almost answered, but his damaged arm and stomach wound overtook his mind. He wavered, then slumped on the ground, his eyesight fading into black.

* * *

"Excuse me, would you mind telling me why you ran from that fight? You totally had all of them!" exclaimed Parker as Johnny stalked up to the van.

Johnny pushed past his smaller brother and got inside, falling into one of the worn pilot chairs in the back.

Angel looked strangely at the assassin and instantly noticed the exhaustion written over his innocent, yet steely features.

"Are you all right?" asked Angel, getting up awkwardly from the couch with her hands still cuffed behind her back.

Parker's irritated expression changed to concern as Johnny, with shaking hands, fumbled to get his tank top off. His pectoral and abdominal muscles were flawlessly muscular, as always, and a tattoo of the HYDRA icon remained directly under his left collarbone. But to Angel's shock, an enormous blue and black bruise was forming across his chest.

"Goddamned green monster did this," he growled in his gruff voice.

"The Hulk..." muttered Parker in understanding.

"I think he broke my ribs...we need to return to base and get our wounds tended. And," Johnny looked pointedly at Angel, "Wipe and return you to cryo."

"I can't go back in cryo while my mission is still underway!" exclaimed Angel angrily.

"You'll do as I say," Johnny bit back, "And you've acted strange ever since you walked back into this van. What's wrong with you?"

"N-nothing at all. I just want to kill that son of a bitch HYDRA traitor," hissed Angel in return.

"We're going to base," Johnny responded firmly, ordering the driver to do so.

Angel sat backed own on the small couch in the van and Parker took the seat next to her.

She wanted to capture the Winter Soldier, if at all possible. He interested her and she wanted to talk one-on-one with him and ask him a question that had bothered her since he mentioned the name.

_Who is Lacey?_

* * *

**A/N: All right, so since all my characters have source actors for the image I have when I write them, so Johnny will be no different. He was based on Tom Hardy, who carries the tough and silent character perfectly. I really like this guy, so I hope you will like him too (as much as a person can like an assassin XD) Thanks for reading!**


	10. Scorned and Loved

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for being so patient for my updates. It's a lot different than when I used to update every day. Honestly it's a mix of being busy and having bad, bad writer's block. This past week, between doing a bunch of stuff getting prepared for college, getting a root canal, and having to write a skit, I haven't had the mental energy to fight the writer's block and put out a new chapter. But, I finally got an idea so this will sort of be a filler chapter, and rather short as well. I wanted to develop my OCs a little better! I'm sorry if this chapter seems slow! **

**And I've been getting a lot better response to the Reaper than I expected. I thought Parker would get more of a welcome. You guys are just so villain oriented XD But don't worry, I am too. Thank you for the kind words about him, he's probably my favorite OC I've created. I love his character. **

**Also, I noticed someone left a lovely note about how I need to proofread my stories. I do, in fact, proofread my work. Sometimes though, my eyes skip over mistakes. If you can see a mistake, kindly let me know about the goof. I'll fix it, no reason to be nasty. Thank you.**

**Okay! Lastly, I would like to request something from my lovely readers! I am very music-oriented. I get a lot of inspiration from music but I'm finding myself in need of more tunes that will get my creative juices flowing! If you have a song that reminds you of any characters (Bucky, Lacey, Steve, Parker, Johnny, Bruce, anyone. Even songs that remind you of the couples you ship.) As long as they're relevant, I'd appreciate any suggestions! Thanks!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**-Rebirthing by Skillet**

**-Already Over by RED**

**-The Bad in Each Other by Feist**

* * *

Chapter 10

Scorned and Loved

The dark HYDRA van pulled up into an abandoned lot, in front of an old ranch house. Angel cringed when Johnny stood and seized her by the arm and dragged her out of the van.

"You're really going to bring her back in to get wiped?" Parker demanded, chasing his brother down after he jumped out of the van.

Johnny didn't respond, just pulled Angel into the house.

"I'm fine, Johnny, I don't need my mind wiped!" snarled Angel, trying in vain to jerk herself away from his strong grasp.

"Shut up," Johnny responded gruffly, pushing Angel down the hall to a large room.

Inside large round room, a Spanish man towered behind a chair occupied by a menacing looking woman.

She was in her fifties, an eerie grin glued on her lips and eyes that could burn holes right through your skull. Angel felt herself reflexively shrink back against Johnny, uncomfortable with the woman's eyes upon her.

Angel encountered this woman many times, since she now was the leader of HYDRA. The woman's name was Patricia. She organized all Angel's memory wipes and cryo sessions, but more importantly she was the mother of both Johnny and Parker. But she most certainly wasn't a kind mother, especially to her elder son.

Johnny moved Angel out of the way and stepped forward to approach the woman. She smirked at Johnny and growled, "I see you've returned empty-handed."

"We needed to regroup," Johnny grunted.

Angel looked up at him, seeing a strained looked behind his hazel eyes. She stepped back in fear as the woman stood up and came directly up to the Reaper.

"And how does that give you the excuse to not return with any of the SHIELD agent's bodies? I specifically tasked you to take them down, especially the Winter Soldier. And you have the gall to come back without one body?" she hissed.

Johnny hesitated, before answering slowly, "I thought it wise to-"

The woman's creepy smile disappeared and she reached out to smack Johnny hard across the face.

Johnny flinched, the strength of her strike not hurting him, but obviously stinging his pride. Parker moved forward and exclaimed in surprise, "Mother!"

Angel wasn't intimidated by much, but she felt herself hiding in the shadow of the two men. She feared only this woman, not really understanding the reason behind her apprehension.

"Angel and Reaper were both injured on this mission. We thought it would be beneficial to return and rest," Parker told her earnestly.

Patricia's eyes only softened enough to glance at Parker, but turned to Johnny and asked, "You mean to tell me you've been injured?"

Johnny paused, then licked his lips before answering carefully. He seemed to know he tread dangerous grounds, "Bruce Banner accompanied them."

Patricia snorted derisively, "A fact HYDRA was well aware of...but yet he still caught you off guard?"

"This is the Hulk we're talking about! Your son's been injured, isn't that reason enough to return?" snapped Angel, her venomous voice surprising even herself.

Patricia's evil eyes landed on Angel. Parker reached out to grab Angel's arm and pull her to him in protection. Patricia glared for a moment at the other female, then swiveled back to Johnny. He refused eye contact, staring at a spot behind his mother.

"Oh, you poor thing," huffed Patricia sarcastically, "One would think a child of a demigod could withstand a fight with a empty-headed beast. I thought you were more intelligent than that, but apparently I was mistaken."

Angel bit her lip, knowing she shouldn't have mentioned Johnny's injuries. She'd brought this verbal abuse upon him.

Angel sadly stared at the muscular assassin in front of her, seeing his shoulder sag as his mother yelled at him.

Parker once told Angel the tale of his brother and mother. Patricia Perry was a special woman. She had powers, or so it had been rumored. Angel had never seen anything supernatural about the woman.

Years ago, Patricia received attention from an unnamed demigod, who possessed powers similar to the level of Thor from Asgard. Patricia and the demigod had an affair. They spent many a passionate night together, their love remaining a secret to all. But once demigod learned that Patricia became pregnant, he fled and never returned.

Angel assumed this was the reason Patricia scorned Johnny's existence.

Angel never saw such power in one seemingly human man as she did in Johnny. Surely he reminded Patricia everyday of her dark past.

Parker was the second born to Patricia by another nameless man. But strangely, instead of choosing to resent her youngest son, Patricia treated him opposite of Johnny.

"Since the three of you inconveniently decided to come her like frightened pups, you might as well rest."

"The Death Angel needs the chair," Johnny added quietly.

Angel shot the Reaper a glare and opened her mouth to protest. She went silent when the Spanish man she knew as Phillip, grabbed her cuffed arm and pulled her away. Angel hung her head in defeat, allowing herself to be led away.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing Parker gazing at her helplessly. Johnny remained stationary, staring at that spot on the wall. Neither of them appeared ready to assist her, so she sighed sadly and walked into the hallway. They soon came to a room with a familiar chair placed in the middle of the floor.

Phillip unclasped her wrists momentarily before pushing her into the chair, then tied her hands down in new restraints attached to the armrests.

Angel blinked, her mind strangely wandering to the metal-arm man she'd encountered just hours beforehand.

The oddly mind-boggling name he'd called her ran through her thoughts once again.

_Lacey..._

"Phillip, was my name once different?" she inquired after a moment.

The Spanish man raised an eyebrow and returned in his thick accent, "Not that I'm aware of."

"The Winter Soldier called me Lacey, as if he knew me once by that name. Do you know if the Soldier and I interacted at all in his time here?" Angel asked.

"No, he's merely attempting to deceive you. If he acts to recognize you, your emptied mind will latch on to that, wanting to know more. Know he is lying to you," Phillip answered confidently.

"But the name... is Lacey my true name? Surely I wasn't named Angel of Death at birth."

"You'll need to ask Lady Perry any further questions. I do not posses the answers you seek," Phillip finally replied, placing the electronic wiping crown against her head.

He slipped a black mouth guard between her lips, then reached over to switch on the machine.

Angel's breath came faster and the inevitable panic swept in, causing her to whine in the back of her throat and pull against the restraints as the electrical pulses seared her mind.

* * *

In the next room, the Perry family could clearly hear the sound of Angel's anguished screams. Parker winced, feeling tremendous pity for his partner.

"The upkeep on that damn child is such a nuisance," sighed Patricia, going back to her seat, "If she wasn't so brilliant at her job, I'd have her put down."

Parker was about to retort in defense, but to his surprise, Johnny growled, "She's a human being, not a German Shepherd."

"Nevertheless, she is a pain to care for. If I don't wipe her mind often enough, she goes insane and doesn't obey. I'll be happy when she finally dies in the line of duty," snorted Patricia.

Parker's flicked to Johnny, surprised to see his elder brother tense, fists clenched.

"Once she restarts, you three will attack again. Intelligence says that they just checked into a new hospital not far from the last one you infiltrated. They've put him on the ground floor. All you have to do is wait for the signal from the active SHIELD agent and steal the Soldier away. Capture him and kill or capture all who choose to get in the way. Is that understood?" Patricia barked.

"He's too far gone, there is no way to reinstate him in HYDRA. Can we not just kill him?" Johnny responded.

"I don't want to reboot him. We are going to...pry into his mind..." responded Patricia, sneering.

"We are going to torture him for information?" Parker inquired, gritting his teeth.

"Do you have a problem with that plan? I am getting the inkling that you are turning out as useless as your brother. If you truly want to serve HYDRA, you will go capture the Winter Soldier and any other SHIELD agent you can and bring them to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Parker answered automatically.

Johnny didn't say a word, just glared scathingly at her. Patricia met his fierce gaze with equal venom, "Is that _understood_?"

Johnny's jaw muscles visibly worked, but he nodded, gazed dropping to the ground.

"Excellent. Now leave me, I have more important things to do," sniffed Patricia, turning away from them.

Johnny turned around roughly, brushing by Parker in rage.

The younger sibling followed Johnny to the room they'd shared in the ranch house. Parker cleared his throat as he stepped inside, already finding Johnny laying down in his bed.

"Don't let her get to you. She is just high-strung because the SHIELD agents are not going down without a fight. I don't think she expected to be this tough."

"We will try harder, then," Johnny replied stiffly.

Parker paused for a moment, then asked, "Hey, your chest...isn't it-"

"Healed," Johnny interrupted, peeling his shirt up to reveal the truth in his words.

Parker stared in awe at his brother's broad chest, which didn't bear the bruise that had dappled his skin just an hour earlier. Parker never knew why his brother's amazing abilities always shocked him. He'd been like this as a child. And Parker remembered even in their more innocent days, Johnny still acted like a man who had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Do you feel all right?" Parker dared to ask.

"Would you shut up and go to sleep?" grunted Johnny, rolling on his other side so that his back faced Parker.

Parker felt a frown ghost over his face. Johnny usually said nothing, so either he was still in pain or in just a particularly bad mood. Either way, Parker chose to leave him alone.

The younger brother stripped himself of unnecessary clothing, then slid into his own uncomfortable bed. He secretly dreaded the following day, knowing that they would have to kill some of the SHIELD agents.

Unfortunately though, he had to admit that he liked the agents as people. Steve was gentle, kind and honest and Parker enjoyed being in his company. He'd also known Bucky Barnes when he was in HYDRA, but preferred his true personality. He was witty, presented himself as a stern man but was good-natured underneath. Bruce Banner was meek and sweet when he wasn't an invincible monster. The other agents: Clint, Natasha, Fury and 13...they were all good people as well.

If it was up to himself, he'd choose in a heartbeat not to kill them. But HYDRA wished it done, so he had to obey.

Parker leaned his head back against the pillows, a frown still on his face. He tried to get the thought of dying SHIELD agents out of his mind, but it wouldn't disappear. In all his years as a HYDRA assassin, he didn't do any assassinations personally. He'd helped Angel and the Reaper, but his own hands had never taken a life. In a way, this made him feel less guilty. Perhaps he'd feel the same if he just stepped out of the way and let his eager partner and brother do the deed of taking down SHIELD.

It was what he'd always done.

* * *

Bucky awoke with a start, sitting up in a hospital bed. He squinted as the sun peaked through the lone, wide window, brightly illuminating the dull room.

His eyes frantically danced around, finding the room empty.

He wondered why the others would leave him alone, but relaxed when he noticed a sensor on the window. He knew this device would most likely explode if someone would tamper with the pane.

Bucky settled back against the flat pillows, wincing when he felt the old pain in his stomach from the knife wound.

He automatically glanced down at his bionic arm, the crushed plating now patched. Rue probably repaired it while he lay unconscious.

Bucky sluggishly let his eyes shut, succumbing to the strong lure of sleep.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when the hospital room door popped open. Bucky opened his eyes and saw Jillian Rue enter.

Bucky's mental alarm went off, making him sit up uncomfortably at the sight of the sultry SHIELD agent.

Rue smiled at him and sauntered up to his side, reaching out to touch his metal arm, "Good morning, Bucky. How do you feel?"

Bucky forced himself not to rudely pull away from the contact.

"'Morning," he responded icily, "I see you fixed my arm."

"That's what I'm tagging along for, right?" she giggled, hand creeping up his arm to his shoulder.

"Please, stop," warned Bucky.

"Why are you afraid of this? Why do women scare you?" she laughed.

"Females in general don't scare me...it's just you," retorted Bucky, glaring at her.

"Oh..." cooed Rue, placing her other hand on his chest, sliding her fingers underneath the thin hospital gown collar, touching his skin, "I make you uncomfortable?"

"Not for reasons you think," snarled Bucky, irritated by her forwardness.

In his mind, he pondered on how far he would allow her to go before he'd be forced to strike her.

"Are you sure?" Rue growled, swinging her leg up over the bed and straddling his hips, leaning forward to capture his lips in hers.

Bucky yelped, pushing her back and exclaimed, "What the hell?!"

Rue's eyes flashed with hurt, then directly switched to anger. She rotated forward again hastily before Bucky could react. He blinked in horror when he felt her fist hit his arm, stabbing something sharp into his flesh. He inhaled sharply, gaping down at a needle syringe protruding from right deltoid muscle.

"What was-" Bucky started, but instantly felt light-headed as the substance in the syringe took hold.

He heard Rue sigh, as she hopped off his lap and strode to the window, "Your friends were so foolish to leave us alone."

She typed in the disarming code on the sensor he thought was a protective device. But Bucky watched in horror as it moved and cut around the edges of the sill, creating a large escape hole in the ground level room wall.

_"Who the hell would've assigned me to a ground level room when we are being hunted? Why don't they just hand my head to HYDRA on a silver platter?" _he thought in panic.

Rue turned to give Bucky a devious smile as Lacey and the Reaper pulled themselves inside.

"Y-you! You're a...a.." gasped Bucky.

"A HYDRA agent? Of course! I'm shocked it actually took you this long to figure it out since you disliked me so much," Rue snorted with a roll of her eyes.

She then turned to Lacey and ordered, "Cuff him before the first wave of the sedative wears off."

Lacey, glassy-eyed, obeyed without a word and stepped forward. She shoved Bucky into the sitting position and twisted his arms behind his back, clapping restraints on his wrists.

The Reaper then approached, grasping Bucky by the arms and yanked him out of the bed.

"L-Lacey..." breathed Bucky, looking up at her as the Reaper pulled him towards the window.

The female assassin glanced down at Bucky blankly. Bucky knew from her expression that she'd been wiped since he'd seen last. He quickly decided to let go of his intentions of not telling her of her past hastily, in hope of stopping this abduction, "Lacey, you h-have to know me. You must remember. I'm Bucky Barnes."

Lacey stopped, frowning at him in confusion. She stepped back, lips parting slightly as stared at him. She then glanced at Rue, eyes searching for answers.

"I'm Bucky Barnes and you're Lacey Turner. We were once-"

He stopped mid sentence when an arm covered with tribal tattoos flew towards his face, knuckles connecting with his temple. Bucky fell to the ground as his sight quickly faded away.

* * *

**A/N: I also forgot to mention that someone recently asked if I planned on continuing with these characters once I'm done with Angel of Death. I've considered a third story, but I most likely won't directly after AoD is complete. I have a Harry Osborne/OC story fanfiction for The Amazing Spider-man movie and a Bane/OC from TDKR story I want to do, so I'll probably begin one of those even before the finish of this story. I don't want to burn myself out on this Captain America series, so I will most likely be taking a break from the Bucky/Lacey story! Thanks for asking!**


	11. Psycho

**A/N: Hi everyone, I'm SOOOOO sorry for the long time it took me to update this! Life has been so busy and hectic! I've also had a severe case of writer's block, so the story wasn't really coming to me any time I did have a moment to sit down and write.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews and I hope you guys still will read and review even with my slow update! Oh, and I'm also sorry that this is a filler chapter sorta, so it's rather short!**

**-Musical Inspiration:**

**The Walker by The Fits and the Tantrums**

**Bonfire by Knife Party**

**Swing-Set Murders by Two Steps from Hell**

* * *

Chapter 11

Psycho

Bucky's eyes fluttered open, finding himself staring at a dank ceiling. He winced and attempted to sit up, but his movement halted from the restraints around his upper arms and torso.

He twisted his neck to view in horror the all-too-familiar chair to which his body was bound.

"Shit..." he gasped, glancing at his surroundings in fright.

He hadn't a clue where he was, but he knew he wasn't safe.

Bucky tried to yank his strong metal left arm out of the cuff, but the clasp resisted his cybernetic limb. He grit his teeth and laid back in the chair, glaring at the ceiling.

Would it always come to this? Time and time again being chased down and captured by HYDRA...was it worth all this?

Bucky suddenly felt extremely old and exhausted. He tired of constant fear that always lingered around him.

A strange sensation washed over him for the first time since he regained his memory. The weight of everything poured down on him at once. The emotions of Lacey's lack of recollections of him, Steve's unconditional love and faith, SHIELD's acceptance, and his struggling ex-HYDRA counterparts...it all built up inside him. He felt tears trickle down his cheeks as he tried to swallow the thick lump in his throat.

"Oh, my dear. I didn't realize you were so sensitive," a vile voice came from the doorway.

Bucky lifted his head and craned to see an older woman with Parker on one side and Lacey at her other.

"Who the hell are you?" Bucky growled at the older woman.

"My name is Patricia, I'm in charge of this organization," she responded, approaching him slowly.

"You're Pierce's replacement?" snorted Bucky.

"As you well know, a HYDRA has multiple heads.

"Cut off one, two more grow back in its place," answered Patricia, sidling up to him.

"So I've heard..." hissed Bucky through clenched teeth, "Why am I here?"

"I had hopes of torturing you for information, but now that I've seen you, I've made other plans," Patricia snarled, walking over to a monitor across the room.

"Mother, I thought-" Parker started but Patricia held up a hand to silence him.

_"His mother?" _thought Bucky in shock.

"Angel, check the restraints," ordered Patricia.

Lacey nodded and walked forward to Bucky's side and double-checked the cuffs. Her persona remained stone-cold, her eyes glassy and odd.

"Lacey, please, you must remember-"

"Her name isn't Lacey!" snapped Patricia, grabbing Bucky's face roughly to make him look at her.

Bucky's eyes went wide in horror as she uttered, "Be still."

Bucky suddenly felt his body go limp, but his consciousness was still intact. The only thing he had control of were his thoughts, and those danced around frantically in his mind.

"My dear, this arm of yours could be a problem...you could get loose. Lacey, would you mind removing it?" Patricia inquired in a sickening, sweet tone.

Lacey marched forward like a programmed robot and dug her metal fingers at the line where the skin and Vibranium met at his shoulder.

"Angel..." breathed Parker in shock from across the room.

Bucky tensed. Surely they wouldn't-

Before he could think of anything else, Lacey jerked and ripped the arm off cleanly from his mutilated shoulder.

Bucky blinked, then white pain tore through his body. He couldn't scream or move to rid himself of the excruciating agony that gripped him. All his body did in response was quake violently.

"Thank you," Patricia cackled to Lacey as the mind wiping crown settled against Bucky's brow.

"We'll see you when you awake, boy," laughed Patricia as the light zapped into his brain, eating away at his memories.

* * *

Angel stood quietly to the side, still holding the muscular metal arm in her hand. She watched as the man's body shook with pain as the racked him.

"He called me Lacey..." Angel said to Patricia.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about. He probably confused you with someone else," the HYDRA director answered.

"But he sounded as if he truly knew me-"

"Shut your mouth or you'll be next in line to the chair!" barked Patricia.

Angel's eyes landed back on the man in the chair a the spell that Patricia put him under wore off and he began to convulse under the influence of the wipe. Pitiful whining escaped his lips as his slack faced clenched up in searing pain. The whimpering turned to strangled screams and Angel found herself turning away from the sight.

"LACEY!" he suddenly cried out, making Angel jump slightly.

Her eyes snapped to him, his voice sounding so familiar. She studied his form for a moment, then a memory hit her like a cold splash of water.

_His face, the metal arm, the lean, muscular body. His stormy eyes, his sculpted lips, the dark hair..._

_"Bucky Barnes..."_ she suddenly thought as flashes of memories danced in front of her eyes.

_Jack Jefferson. The chair. Seattle. Long drives down forgotten roads. A two-story ranch house in the middle of the woods._

She remembered!

Suddenly the machine powered down and Patricia glanced at the unconscious man with a yawn.

"I'm going to the study. Fetch me when he awakens, all right?" she told Parker before she walked out of the room.

Parker nodded and as soon as she left, Angel...Lacey moved forward.

Her name was Lacey. Lacey Turner.

With a _clank_, Lacey let the metal arm drop out of her hand. A smile played on her lips as she moved towards Bucky. Even in his broken state, her happiness to see him with her own eyes was overwhelming. She leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek.

"What are you doing!?" Parker exclaimed.

Lacey turned to him a grinned, "I'm going home."

Parker looked absolutely befuddled as Lacey undid the metal straps around Bucky's stomach and remaining arm.

Parker moved forward, "What the hell, Angel?"

"My name isn't Angel. You know I'm not that assassin. Bucky and I are victims of HYDRA, both turned into killing machines by this contraption," Lacey responded, flourishing a hand towards the chair, "I'm taking both of us away from here. He needs medical attention."

"If you think I'm just going to stand by and let you leave-"

"You're my friend, Parker. We've been together for years. You'll help me if you want what's best for my life," Lacey replied slowly, putting a hand on Parker's arm.

Parker looked up and Lacey gazed into the man's hazel eyes.

"Please..." pleaded Lacey, not breaking eye contact.

Parker could only hold the intense stare for a moment before huffing, "Fine. But we must make this look good. Punch me out."

"What?!" Lacey exclaimed.

"Punch me hard as you can in the face so it looks like you two fought your way out," Parker instructed.

Lacey paused, then nodded, lifting her Vibranium fist.

She stopped again and looked at Parker with questioning eyes.

"Do it," Parker responded, shutting his eyes.

Lacey took a deep breath and right-hooked the fire-wielder in the face. He fell backwards, completely unconscious. Lacey stared at him for a moment, then knelt to kiss him on the temple. She then leaned into his ear and whispered, "You're a saint, Parker Perry. I'll never forget this."

Lacey then pushed herself up and with her strong arm, she lifted Bucky's remaining arm to sling over her shoulder. She dragged him towards the back window and broke the lock that rested on the latch, pushing it open and pulling her old friend through.

* * *

Johnny laid in his bed, arm propped behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. His mind churned over what was going on a few rooms over. The ex-assassin who was so like Angel was needlessly being tortured. HYDRA and SHIELD were both basically wiped out after Project Insight went awry, so there were hardly any secrets kept with either organization. Torturing him for information was a pointless feat.

But attempting to tell his mother that was basically like jumping off a cliff, pointless and stupid.

But, then again, if anyone was to Patricia, everything that Johnny said or did was pointless and stupid.

Johnny smirked grimly, thinking of his mother's strange disdain for his existence. It wasn't his fault, being born. Patricia shouldn't have been such a slut as a young woman.

He would never understand how some people reasoned.

Johnny scowled when he saw his mother march by his room door and down the hall to her office. Was she finished torturing the Winter Soldier already? He snorted and closed his eyes, only to hear his mother's steps rushing by ten minutes later.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up when he heard Patricia's horrid screeching coming from the room with the chair. Johnny hopped up and padded into the next room to investigate. He came upon the room and saw his mother's plump arms flailing around as she screamed at Parker, who was rubbing his face in pain.

"I can't BELIEVE you let her get away with the Soldier! You are just as much of an idiot as Johnny! Is it really that hard to make sure that no one escapes!?"

"She caught me off-guard, mom! I couldn't help it! She was talking to me like normal, then she punched me mid sentence!" Parker retorted angrily.

"How is it that I have two sons and I can't trust either one?" she squawked, then placed a hand against Parker's chest firmly, "If I can't raise you to obey, I'll program you to obey!"

Johnny inhaled sharply when the woman threw Parker back into the chair, then waved her hands over the restraints and tied her son down.

"Patricia! Stop!" roared Johnny, barreling into the room as the HYDRA director flipped the machine on.

"Let me go!" Parker cried out, tugging against the restraints.

Patricia whirled around and held a hand, palm out at Johnny. The muscular freight-train of a man suspended in mid-step.

"Be still," Patricia hissed as the crown settled around Parker's brow.

Parker's screams echoed through the house as his memories extrapolated and tossed into oblivion.

Johnny watched with wide eyes as his brother twitched and convulsed at the electrical impulses running through his head.

Johnny's mouth hung open, not believing even his own despicable mother could come to insanity such as this.

* * *

**A/N: Like I said...it was short. But I need tunes to get those creative juices a-flowing! Send me music that reminds you of any of the characters, or just this story in general! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Shattered

**A/N: Hey, all. I'm so, so, so sorry for leaving you all hanging! Stuff and things have been happening...Writer's block, distractions...bleh.**

**So this is a short chapter, but that may be the way things happen from here on in!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**-Boom Clap by Charli XCX**

**-Come With Me Now by KONGOS**

* * *

_Chapter 12_

_Shattered_

The first thing Bucky felt when he came to consciousness was his right arm pulled in an awkward position. His eyes eased open, seeing water around his feet. He scowled, then became painfully aware with his severed arm. He gasped in pain a tried to roll away from the thing holding his arm as it dragged him through a stream.

"Shh, it's okay," a gentle female voice came from the captor, "You're safe now."

He lifted his seemingly heavy head and saw the girl from his smeared memories clutching him securely.

He'd grown accustomed to the memory wipe, which made it easier to shrug off the effects and delve into his mind for the woman's name.

"L-Lacey...?" he stammered.

She looked down at him. For the first time in years, their eyes truly met. Emerald irises clashed with the stormy blue, as they gazed at each other.

Lacey stopped a moment to rest, settling Bucky's body on the bank of the stream.

"We need to tie off your arm before it loses more blood," Lacey said as she took her jacket off and wrapped it tightly around Bucky's arm and secured it around his chest so that it cradled his mutilated shoulder against his body. She then took of her belt and created a tourniquet for his bloody left bicep.

Bucky watched her as she quickly tied his arm. She paused for a moment and rested her hand against his chest tenderly before looking up at him with watery eyes, whispering, "Bucky, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't do that, Lacey. I know better than most that it wasn't really you," Bucky responded, lifting his right hand to place softly against her cheek.

Lacey settled her hand over his and smiled as tears began to slide down her cheeks. She eased forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat, not realizing how much he longed to have to her arms around him. He buried his face in the crevice of her shoulder, putting his hand against her back and pulled her closer.

"Come on," he murmured in her ear, "We don't have a great head start on HYDRA as it is."

Lacey pulled back and grinned slyly at him, for reasons unknown to him. She stood and helped him to his feet, and they began their journey down the stream.

* * *

Johnny felt his body loosen as Patricia switched off the machine. He fell to his hands and knees and looked up at his unconscious brother. He crawled over to him and raised himself up to look at Parker's eyes, which were wide open in shock.

Johnny placed his shaking fingers against Parker's jaw, feeling his pulse stuttering.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Johnny growled, turning on his mother in fury.

"I do what I must for the good of HYDRA. Are you still part of this organization?"

Johnny stood at his full height and steeled his features.

What his mother did was unspeakable. He realized, all this wasn't right. Lacey's memory wipe, the goal to capture a poor soul just to bring him to this misery once again, now the attack on Parker...it was all wrong. He swallowed and looked down at his mother with fire behind his eyes. If he defied her now, she would merely put him in the chair and turn him into a drone just like his brother.

With all the gall he could muster, he looked at her dead in the eye and responded, "Of course, Patricia. What would you have me do next?"

Patricia smiled in a way that was more of snarl, "Track down the Angel and bring her back."

"What of the Winter Soldier?" Johnny inquired stiffly.

"Leave him. Our field agent will take care of him. Whether or not he remembers her after the wipe, she'll be able to eradicate him efficiently."

"What about Hellfire?" Johnny asked, nodding towards Parker, who still hadn't moved.

"When he awakens, I'll...pursaude him to come and assist you," Patricia sneered.

Johnny clenched his teeth, but still nodded and turned on his heel to prepare his weapons.

"Reaper," Patricia called after him.

He paused and looked over his shoulder.

"Don't disappoint me again," she growled threateningly.

Johnny gazed at her for a moment, then answered, "Don't worry. You'll never have to be concerned about me again."

Clearly taking his meaning differently, giving a malevolent smile, "I'm pleased to see you come to your senses."

Johnny moved away from her and walked out the door, muttering under his breath, "Yes...I have most definitely come to my senses."

* * *

"How do we find the SHIELD agents?" Lacey asked as they neared the town that he'd just been abducted from.

Bucky's mind, which was sluggish from pain and the slow blood-loss that seeped from his arm, couldn't even think of an answer to the question.

"We c-can't go back to that hospital..."

"But that's the last place HYDRA will look, so maybe they remained around the building..." Lacey returned, readjusting Bucky's arm on her shoulder.

"Perhaps you're right," sighed Bucky, his head lolling against hers weakly.

His eyes were growing heavy and he mustered up the energy to say, "We need to find help soon...I'm...really starting to check out here..."

Lacey looked at him and exclaimed, "Oh, no, you don't! I am not carrying your dead-weight body through the city and try by myself to explain things to SHIELD."

Even though her tone was snarky, Bucky could hear the worry coloring her voice.

Bucky let a smile quirk his lips and he responded sarcastically, "I love you too."

Lacey looked as if she was about to retort, but suddenly a dark blur flew out of the darkness and struck Lacey in the stomach, causing her to drop Bucky and fall backwards.

Bucky tumbled to the ground and rolled on his back, seeing the blur that hit Lacey fly back into the distance.

"Oh no..." he gasped.

His eyes landed on Lacey, who was wincing as she stood, looking around for the source of the attack. The familiar ringing sound of the metal disk donned by Captain America sounded and the blur flew back into view, hurtling at Lacey.

She smacked it away with her metal arm, sending it spinning into the bushes. Steve burst out of the brush not long after, barreling furiously towards Lacey. His fists were balled and the anger in his eyes could be seen from a mile away.

Bucky scooped up the energy and shouted in a raspy voice, "Steve, no! She's been recalibrated!"

Steve halted and threw a look over at Bucky. The super soldier instantly forgot his original task and dashed over to Bucky's side.

"Buck, your arm..." Steve breathed, looking in horror at his partner.

"A little metal work and I will be right as rain..." sighed Bucky.

Bucky's eyes wandered over to Lacey as Steve hoisted him up. She hesitantly approached them like a shy wild animal.

Steve followed Bucky's gaze and said to Lacey, "Did you rescue Bucky?"

"Yes," she answered stiffly.

"That's good enough for now, I suppose. Let's get this guy to safety," replied Steve.

Lacey nodded slowly and followed Steve at the heels as they traveled through the rest of the forest.

They emerged out of the forest and saw a SUV parked at the edge of the woods.

"How did you find us here?" inquired Lacey.

"Tracking device we all planted in our arms. It comes in handy when we continuously get kidnapped," snorted Steve, opening the door to put Bucky inside.

Bucky blinked in confusion, assuming this bit of information had been lost when he was wiped. He wondered if he'd lost any other pieces of information. If he did, he hoped it wasn't anything important. Though he did have that nagging feeling of forgetting something sitting in the back of his mind...


	13. Eyes Open

**A/N: So, yeah, quick update. I do have news though! If any of you are The Walking Dead fans, I posted the first chapter of my new TWD fanfiction on this username. So if you have the time, please read and review! I'd greatly appreciate your advice! Thanks!**

**Musical Inspiration:**

**Flight by Hans Zimmer**

* * *

_Chapter 13_

_Eyes Open_

Bucky opened his eyes, finding himself laying down on a hotel room bed.

"As soon as we're finished here, we're leaving," he heard Nick Fury's voice come from his left side.

Bucky glanced around and saw Lacey, Steve, Banner, Agent 13, Romanoff and Barton anxiously looking down at him. Agent Rue stepped up to him, taking out her case of equipment to work on Bucky's arm.

"It's a good thing we made a spare the last time you completely screwed up your arm. All we have to do is weld the base to what's left of your arm," Rue said kindly, smiling at him.

Bucky looked at her for a long moment, an itch pricking his mind to remember something about her. But all he could recall was her helping him fix his arm twice before.

She took his new arm out of the case and went to work.

"What happened in there, Barnes?" Fury inquired as Rue worked on him.

Bucky swallowed, "They put me in the chair again..."

"He means the chair that wipes your memories," Lacey put in quietly.

Fury looked over at the young woman standing at Bucky's right side. She held Bucky's flesh hand tightly and looked at Fury with wide eyes.

"So you were once friends with Bucky before you became the 'Angel of Death'?" Steve asked from the side, moving forward a bit.

"The wipe machine makes you do crazy things. If you're being brainwashed and you don't know who is good and who is evil, it's easy to get your brain warped. I apologize for any pain I inflicted on any of you...I swear that it wasn't really me," Lacey responded.

"She could be lying..." Barton murmured gravely, "HYDRA may have found a way into her head to use her past friendship with Bucky against us."

Bucky firmly spat at Hawkeye, "No, she wouldn't do that. She's with us now. Were you this skeptical of me when I saw the light-?"

Lacey put a hand up and said, "No, no, it's okay, I would raise the same questions."

She cringed when she made eye contact with Barton again, "I hope your bite wound is doing okay...I'm sorry about that."

Barton made a 'don't worry about it face' and nodded apologetically to Bucky.

"Do you think that HYDRA will come after us again?" Steve put in suddenly, "Or do you believe that they've they given up?"

"HYDRA doesn't give up. They lost both Bucky and I, so they'll surely send someone after us," Lacey responded.

"We'll need to be ready then. Barton, 13 and I will check the perimeter," Romonoff announced, walking out the door with her partner and 13.

"I should probably go put gas in the car if we're planning to get outta town fast," Banner suggested quietly, then turned to Rogers, "Why don't you come with me?"

"You need someone to cover you? I think you can protect yourself," chuckled Steve.

"I more was thinking of you protecting others if I somehow get...out of hand..." Banner responded.

Steve nodded in agreement and stood, but paused before he exited the room.

"You'll be all right for a moment without me, pal?" Steve asked Bucky.

Bucky snorted, "All those years I looked after you and you're gonna ask me that?"

Steve rolled his eyes and disappeared with Banner.

Fury suddenly left as well when his phone sounded urgently, leaving Lacey, Bucky and Rue in the room alone.

"Thank you so much for fixing my arm again," chuckled Bucky to Rue as she put the finishing touches on the shoulder.

"It's my pleasure. It's what I'm here for, after all!" Rue responded cheerfully.

Bucky felt the nagging feeling in his mind about Rue again, but couldn't place what his brain was straining to remember.

He shook off the feeling, hearing Rue say, "Lacey, would you mind going out to get a candy bar out of the vending machine so Bucky can take this pain medication for his arm? He'll get sick if he doesn't eat anything with the pills."

Lacey nodded and Rue handed her a dollar bill. Lacey walked out of the room and Rue turned back to Bucky.

Bucky froze when he noticed her features had gone stone-cold and she held a needle in her hand.

"This time, it'll be something a little stronger," she hissed, raising the syringe to stab into his flesh.

Bucky's nagging lost memories suddenly exploded into the forefront of his mind and he recollected Rue sitting on his lap, getting him with a sedative.

Rue was evil!

Bucky readied himself to lunge away, but he flinched when the glass in the window suddenly busted inwards.

Within a flash, the source of the break shoulder-rolled inside and swung a scythe on a chain into the air.

_"The Reaper!"_ thought Bucky in awe.

Bucky's awe quickly turned to disgust when the scythe hurtled through the air and in one swift move, removed Rue's head from her shoulders. Bucky cried out in shock when Rue's head fell in his lap. The ex-Winter Soldier quickly pushed away the head and pulled himself out of the bed to get away from the bloody body.

The Reaper and Bucky made eye contact with one another warily and Bucky moved across the room, not taking down his guard.

"Why would you do that?" Bucky inquired.

"My eyes were opened," answered the Reaper, coiling the chain of the scythe, "My mother turned on my brother, her own son. I've realized just how wrong we all were."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Bucky growled.

"You can't know...but I'm here to protect you all and tell you that there will be more attacks. If I don't return, she may even seek us out herself. That's the last thing that you want."

"What is so scary about the leader? I haven't seen anything out of her except for flapping her big mouth," hissed Bucky, still standing tensely.

"She has powers, greater than you can imagine. She's stronger than even I," Reaper informed Bucky, "I swear to you that I want only to protect you, the Angel and my brother, Parker."

"I suppose you wouldn't have killed Rue otherwise..." Bucky huffed, clenching his jaw and paced around a bit, thinking the possibilities through.

He turned back to the Reaper and snarled, "All right, but the first little thing I see that's out of line, I will call Banner and unleash the Hulk on you. Understand?"

Reaper nodded, a small glint of fear flashing in his eyes at the memory of his run-in with the Hulk.

"What's this-Johnny?! What are you doing here?" Lacey's voice exclaimed from behind them.

"The Reaper saved me from an attack by Agent Rue...HYDRA must have specifically wiped my memories of her so that she could get at me again," Bucky explained.

The realization that Rue was evil dawned on Lacey, and she smacked her forehead in disbelief.

"I can't believe I missed that...she was HYDRA...I knew it all along and I just couldn't remember!" sighed Lacey.

"It isn't your fault, I didn't remember either..." Bucky responded quietly.

Steve walked in the room, "They have the SUV pulled in the front of-What the hell happened in here?!"

"Rue turned and the Reaper saved me. I'll explain later, let's just get the hell out of here," Bucky called out in exasperation.

He, Lacey and Johnny all filed out after Steve through the hotel hallway and downstairs to the SUV.

"Hopefully we can make it a good distance away so we can rest somewhere and plan before the next attack," Lacey stated.

"We have time on our side. I highly doubt that they'll be after us for a while. They don't expect me to return with you for-"

The Reaper stopped dead in his tracks, holding out a hand to halt the rest of the group.

Bucky looked up and was about to ask why he made them stop when he saw an unbelievable sight before them.

In front of the SUV stood Patricia and Parker. Patricia held Banner immobilized in the air while Fury, Barton and Romonoff lay on the ground unconscious.

"Oh my God..." gasped Lacey.

Patricia grinned at Bucky, Lacey, Steve and Johnny maliciously and cackled, "Going somewhere?"


End file.
